LONDON (AP) - Seats, coins and bottles were thrown as fans of London rivals West Ham and Chelsea clashed Wednesday in the latest episode of soccer disorder at London’s Olympic Stadium.
Violence broke out in the closing minutes West Ham’s 2-1 victory in the English League Cup as police and stadium staff battled to maintain segregation behind the goal being defended by the home team.
“Whatever happened, we are totally against it as a club, as a team,” West Ham manager Slaven Bilic said. “For those kind of things to happen, especially in England, is unacceptable.”
West Ham said the disorder was “quickly brought under control” and pledged to work with authorities to identify the perpetrators.
“Those found to have acted improperly will be banned from attending any West Ham United fixtures for life and we will request the courts serve banning orders to prevent these individuals attending any other football,” the east London club said in a statement.
West Ham only moved into the Olympic Stadium - the centerpiece of the 2012 London Games - this season after leaving Upton Park, its home of 112 years.
But the opening three months in the 57,000-capacity venue have been dogged by West Ham’s inability to eradicate the type of problems that club management believed had been consigned to history.
The worst trouble came last month, when West Ham supporters fought among themselves and clashed with stadium security staff and Watford fans during a Premier League game.
For the derby against London rival Chelsea, supporters faced enhanced security checks and a larger police presence than normal for a match attended by 45,957 spectators.
Dozens of riot police were on duty outside the stadium after the game to line the wide roads and concourses around the Olympic Park as well as the rail stations.
After guiding his team into the quarterfinals of the League Cup, Bilic was irritated to again face questions about the conduct of the club’s supporters and preferred to talk about the game.
“Straight away, (for) the second question to be about something that I have nothing to say about is unfair towards the game,” he said. “Five minutes about the game and then we can talk about this. I think this game deserves to be talked about a little bit more.
“It was a London derby, 2-1 for us. Some great performances.”
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte said he didn’t see the crowd trouble, which occurred when his team was trying to mount a comeback.
“I don’t like this type of situation. It’s important to see always the right atmosphere,” Conte said. “Above all in England, we are used to see(ing) the right atmosphere. This country is fantastic in this aspect. I’m sorry about this situation.”
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