May 19, (THEWILL) – West Ham Manager, David Moyes, expressed his concern for the safety of his family and friends after AZ Alkmaar fans attempted to attack a section of West Ham’s supporters following their Europa Conference League semi-final victory in the Netherlands.
The hostile incident occurred when Pablo Fornals’ injury-time winner sparked a group of hooded AZ ultras to make a violent attempt to breach the area designated for friends and family behind the dugout. Reacting swiftly, players such as Michail Antonio, Said Benrahma, Aaron Cresswell, and Flynn Downes climbed over the advertising hoardings in an effort to prevent any further trouble.
Moyes, whose 87-year-old father, David Snr, was present at the match, voiced his perplexity over the incident, stating: “I can’t explain what happened and why it happened. I can only say the players were involved because it was the family section, and most of their family and friends were there. That was probably the reason for the reaction.”
Expressing his concern for his loved ones’ safety, Moyes added: “Was I worried? Yeah, my family was there, and I had friends in that section. You’re hoping they would try and get themselves away from it. What we don’t want to do is in any way blight the night because it certainly wasn’t West Ham supporters looking for trouble. Hopefully, they’ll look into it.”
West Ham goalkeeper, Alphonse Areola, echoed Moyes’ sentiments, emphasising the importance of ensuring a safe and enjoyable environment for families and friends attending matches. He stated, “When families or friends are coming to the stadium, we don’t want to see things like that. They want to enjoy the event, and we want to enjoy it with them as well. We were worried about them.”
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
