Ahead of the Europa Conference League final in Prague, various authorities are planning an emergency meeting with West Ham involved, as reported by the Daily Mail [23 May, Page 64].
West Ham United will take on Italian side Fiorentina in the decider on June 07 but with thousands of ticketless fans set to descend on the Czech capital, a security summit will take place to set out a plan for the event.
UEFA will sit down with representatives of the clubs as well as the Czech police and their counterparts in London and Florence.
Further information was provided in the report by Shekhar Bhatia for the Mail, as well as the concerns over crowd disorder.
“Security is being racked up to ease concerns about potential trouble between supporters and UEFA have called an emergency meeting in the host city for Friday involving Britain’s National Police Chief’s Council, Scotland Yard, Italian and Prague Police,” he said.Report: West Ham could now sign ‘best young South American in the world’ from Bundesliga giants
“The number of police and private security guards on duty in the city will outnumber ticketed supporters of West Ham and Fiorentina whose clubs have only been granted 4,890 official tickets each as prices on the black market soared to near £9,000.
“It has been estimated that 25,000 fans without tickets will converge on Prague.”
Ridiculous situation
Here we go again.
This is another case of UEFA making a mess of what should be a proper football spectacle.
It is well known that host stadiums and cities are chosen for finals at least 12 months in advance which is fine, but opting for a venue such as the home of Slavia Prague with an approximate capacity of 20,000 is just a ridiculous situation.
It is poor planning, inadequate, and a dereliction of duty.
Of course, thousands of ticketless fans are going to travel when the gold dust briefs are in scarce supply, which also drives up the price on the black market.
Scare stories about riots and cheap beer aren’t helpful, instead the focus should be on providing the right environment and facilities for the vast majority who will enjoy the occasion for what it is.
The West Ham supporters have waited a long time for this chance, they will savour their opportunity for European success.
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