Source: Daily_Mail
Return of the thugs: Hundreds go on bloody rampage in night of shame at Upton Park
West Ham are unlikely to be thrown out of the Carling Cup following last night's shocking violence which marred their Carling Cup win over Millwall.
Sportsmail understands that the Football Association will not seek the Hammers expulsion from the competition, unless evidence emerges that the Premier League club failed to police the match in a responsible manner.
Instead the governing body will assist both West Ham and Millwall in tracking down the individual perpetrators of the bloody rioting in and around Upton Park.
Bloodied football 'fan'
Shameful scene: A bloodied 'fan' is led away by police
VIDEO: Football's night of shame...
HAVE YOUR SAY...
Should West Ham be thrown out of the Carling Cup? English football was taken back to the dark ages as West Ham and Millwall fans clashed at Upton Park. There were incidents inside and outside the ground as hundreds of supporters went on the rampage on a night of horror in east London. Should the Hammers be thrown out of the Carling Cup? Or should they be punished in another way?
West Ham
TELL US WHAT YOU THINK
The Hammers, who won the tie 3-1 after extra-time, have been in the top flight for four consecutive years and have a wealth of experience in policing and stewarding volatile crowds. It is very unlikely that the club will have been found negligent on this score.
Indeed, the east London club have been studying CCTV footage as they work with the police and FA to come down hard on the troublemakers who brought shame to football.
Both the FA and West Ham have vowed to hand out life bans after the night of shame in the Carling Cup clash with Millwall.
'This is a family club and the Boleyn Ground has always been a safe place in which all supporters can enjoy football,' said West Ham chief executive Scott Duxbury.
'We are determined to ensure this remains the case. Everyone at the club is shocked and appalled at what happened and we will leave no stone unturned in identifying the perpetrators, rooting them out and then taking the proper action from both the police point of view and the club's.
'The vast majority of people at the game last night were law-abiding, loyal football fans and a small minority spoiled it for everyone. They will not be allowed to succeed.'
One man was stabbed and hundreds fought a pitched battle outside the ground in the worst scenes to blight the English game for years.
Another man was hit in the head with a dart as mounted police and riot squad officers struggled to contain the clashes, which started around 6pm and lasted for several hours.
There were chaotic scenes inside the ground, too, as West Ham fans invaded the pitch on three separate occasions.
An FA statement read: 'We absolutely condemn all of the disorder that has occurred at Upton Park this evening, both inside and outside of the ground.
'We will very quickly be working with all parties, including the Police and clubs to establish the facts surrounding tonight’s events. We expect all culprits to be banned from football for life – they have no place in our game.'
WHY THE RIVALRY?
The bitter feud between West Ham and Millwall goes back to the days when they were formed by rival firms on the Isle of Dogs.
Yet, the hatred is now largely driven by two incidents that took place in the 1970s.
Millwall defender Harry Cripps's testimonial in 1972 was overshadowed by fighting outside and inside at The Den.
Four years later, a Millwall supporter died at New Cross station after a fight with West Ham fans that saw him fall from a train.
FA director of communications Adrian Bevington added: 'We have to understand exactly what measures were put in place last night.
'I'm not going to condemn West Ham or Millwall football clubs for any of their actions - certainly not at this stage, because we don't know exactly what's been put in place.
'And we know there have been huge efforts on the parts of all our clubs to try to eradicate the problems and we've had a history of success on that. However, we have to make sure that the individuals concerned face such tough actions that they can't go to football again.
'We all want a big atmosphere at matches - that's part of football, part of the passion. However, we also want to make sure it's a safe environment to watch games and we've just spent the best part of 20 years working towards that.'
Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe said: 'The scenes last night were a disgrace to football. I completely back the FA's call for any person identified as involved in the violence to be banned for life and urge full and swift co-operation from all parties in the investigation into what happened.
'We have made great progress in the past 20 years in tackling football hooliganism in this country and we will not tolerate any return to the dark days of the 70s and 80s when it plagued the game. We will never be complacent in the fight against football violence.'
England's 2018 World Cup bid team have joined in the condemnation. Bid leader Andy Anson is acutely aware pictures of the trouble will be beamed around the world.
A 2018 bid spokesman said: 'England 2018 shares the FA's stance in condemning the disorder surrounding last night's Carling Cup fixture between West Ham and Millwall.
'The scenes from Upton Park were a regrettable but isolated example of a culture that the football community has worked tirelessly to eradicate from our game. It is extremely disappointing that the mindless actions of a tiny minority have today deflected from the passion and dedication that millions of genuine fans show every week for our national game.'
West Ham fan
Madness: A West Ham fan runs across the pitch
VIDEO: West Ham fans invade the pitch at Upton Park...
West Ham issued a statement vowing to punish those responsible for the 'deplorable scenes'.
'West Ham will fully investigate the deplorable scenes that took place during the Carling Cup tie with Millwall on Tuesday evening,' the statement read.
'The club will not tolerate the unacceptable behaviour witnessed inside the Boleyn Ground and will take the strongest possible action against anyone found responsible, including life bans. As was the case before, during and after the match, we are co-operating fullywith the relevant agencies, including the police.'
'This is a family club and the Boleyn Ground has always been a safe place in which all supporters can enjoy football,' added West Ham chief executive Scott Duxbury.
'We are determined to ensure this remains the case. Everyone at the club is shocked and appalled at what happened and we will leave no stone unturned in identifying the perpetrators, rooting them out and then taking the proper action from both the police point of view and the club's.
'The vast majority of people at the game last night were law-abiding, loyal football fans and a small minority spoiled it for everyone. They will not be allowed to succeed.'
Millwall have also vowed to ban any of their fans involved in the skirmishes. The south London club have promised to assist the authorities with their investigation - but also called for a probe into the planning of what was always likely to be a powder keg occasion between two fierce historic rivals.
Menace: Police officers in riot gear monitor fans on Priory Road, outside Upton Park where a huge brawl broke out between rival fans
Menace: Police officers in riot gear monitor fans on Priory Road, outside Upton Park, where a huge brawl broke out between rival fans before the game
The Lions were unhappy at only being allocated 2,300 tickets, amid fears ticketless fans would travel across London to the game regardless.
A statement from the Lions read: 'Millwall Football Club joins West Ham United and the FA in condemning the actions of those people whose behaviour both inside and outside the Boleyn Ground marred Tuesday night's excellent Carling Cup tie between the two clubs.
'Any Millwall supporter identified as being involved in criminal activity relating to the events of August 25 will receive an indefinite ban from the club.
'At the same time, we would like to thank the vast majority of the 2,300 Lions fans at the ground for supporting the team in the appropriate manner. We trust that all aspects of planning and preparation for this match will be thoroughly investigated. We will assist fully the FA and other relevant authorities with their ongoing enquiries.'
West Ham
Intimidating: West Ham fans on Green Street by Upton Park
Football Supporters Federation chairman Malcolm Clarke has called for a 'very clear response' to the violence.
'It's not a good start to the season and it's important a full investigation is done, and the FA are going to do this with all parties to see exactly what caused this.
'But I think at this stage we must keep it in perspective. Certainly over the last 20 years the amount of football violence has radically reduced. It's too early I think to start drawing too many long-term conclusions, but obviously this was a very serious incident.
'I can assure you the vast majority of Millwall and West Ham supporters will be as horrified by events that occurred as everybody else. It's important to get to the bottom of it but too many hysterical over-reactions don't help.'
Football League chief operating officer Andy Williamson said: 'We utterly deplore the violence that took place at last night's match between West Ham United and Millwall. Such behaviour has no place in the game and we will work with all the relevant authorities to ensure that those behind it are held to account.
Riot police
On guard: Riot police on stand-by outside the ground
'Football has made huge progress in the last 30 years in the management of football matches and the whole game must continue to demonstrate that such behaviour will not be tolerated.'
Scores of rival hooligans were involved in missile throwing and innocent fans claimed it was 'like a war zone' and that they feared for their lives.
The violence overshadowed an emotional night for Hammers boss Gianfranco Zola, whose team won their tie 3-1after extra time. Fighting broke out before kick-off as organised groups fought running battles in the streets. Police said the trouble had been 'pre-planned'.
The FA will assess how West Ham dealt with the trouble, and whether stewarding and pitch invasion preventions were sufficient. One steward on duty claimed a number of colleagues failed to turn up for work because they were frightened of potential trouble.
Millwall keeper David Forde is left to his thoughts as as police spill onto the pitch
Spilling over: Millwall keeper David Forde is left to his thoughts as as police enter onto the pitch
A police helicopter flew overhead to monitor trouble spots but fighting quickly escalated. Aaron Smith, from Hemel Hempstead, said: 'I saw one man cornered by at least a dozen Millwall fans before kick-off.'
Eyewitness Fergal O'Brien said: 'I saw a West Ham fan getting punched in the face by a burly bald man who had a coin between his fists.'
Another fan said: 'I was walking up and a group of hooligans came for us. The police wanted to help but they were clearly afraid to use force. I'm still shaking. I thought I was going to die.'
Stewards struggle to restrain sneering
Sneering: Stewards struggle to restrain Millwall supporters from invading the pitch during the game
Ben Newton, from Harrow, north London, said his father had been stretchered away after being hit with a dart to the head. And a Millwall fan told the BBC: 'It was like a war zone outside the stadium. There was fighting all round. I brought my kids with me and they've seen some violence that is indescribable.'
West Ham and Millwall have a history of trouble, which one fan described as 'pure hatred', and the police bill for their matches runs into hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Builder Peter Simpson, 35, from Southend, Essex, said: 'It was kicking off all over the place and the police didn't seem to be able to stop it. There were quite a few people injured. It was nasty.'
West Ham fans
Scars: An injured fan is treated by police medics outside Upton Park
Sky pundit Phil Thompson, the former Liverpool and England star, said the scenes reminded him of the worst days of hooliganism in the Seventies and Eighties, but urged the authorities to use TV film to root out the troublemakers.
'We live in an HD (high definition) world now,' he said. 'These people should be tracked down and punished.' And he added that 'these idiots were videoing it with their phones'.
Police confirmed five arrests last night but are sure to examine CCTV footage in the hope of capturing further troublemakers.
West Ham fans
Injuries: The man is attended to outside the ground
Arrests were made for disorder and breach of banning orders. A 29-year-old man, who runs a kebab shop in Green Street, said: 'All hell broke loose, it was very frightening. It's not every day you see stuff like that.
'There were West Ham fans on one side and Millwall on the other. They were being kept apart by the police.There were West Ham fans for as far as you could see along the street. Bottles and bricks were thrown from the back and some were even hitting West Ham fans. There were loads of people with bloodied faces.'
Rubbish, shards of glass and beer cans were strewn across Green Street and bricks could be seen in rubbish bins.
About 50 police officers in riot gear had congregated outside Upton Park Tube station as they waited for the final whistle. A police spokesman said: 'It looks like there has been some planned trouble from fans. Hundreds are involved.'
Hating game: Millwall fans taunt West Ham supporters after Neil Harris scores the first goal
Hating game: Millwall fans taunt West Ham supporters after Neil Harris scores the first goal
The 44-year-old stab victim, who was treated at the scene by paramedics for chest wounds, was later said to be in a stable condition.
The officer in charge of policing the match has claimed that a minority were to blame for the mass violence that saw 13 people arrested.
Chief Superintendent Steve Wisbey said: "Police worked closely with West Ham Football Club, British Transport Police and the local authority to minimise disorder.
'Officers responded swiftly whilst missiles were being thrown as they tried to separate fans outside the ground after the match. Incidents of this nature at a match are thankfully rare, but it would appear that a small number of supporters were intent on causing a confrontation.'
● The Football Supporters' Federation are calling for an investigation into violence involving police and Sunderland fans.
Two supporters were reportedly left with serious head injuries during trouble at Newcastle Central Station as they returned from a pre-season friendly at Hearts earlier this month.
Fans claim police used undue force with batons and dogs and the FSF want the official account, that officers were containing an organised confrontation with Newcastle fans, to be investigated.
