UEFA set to hammer West Ham over thrown missiles

 

West Ham’s party tonight to celebrate the Europa Conference League triumph is to be dampened with UEFA set to punish the club over disturbing missile throwing incidents.

A section of West Ham supporters threw plastic pint cups and a vape at Fiorentina’s Cristiano Biraghi in the first half – and the game had to be stopped as medics attended to a gash to Biraghi’s head while the referee ushered the other Italian players to the halfway line.

The Premier League side are understood to be likely to escape the most stringent action football chiefs can impose. But a UEFA source in Prague told Mail Sport: ‘I can tell you 100 per cent that a fine at the very least will be levied on the new champions.

‘We will receive a full report on the incidents, and then inform West Ham to hear what they have to say. But charges are almost certain.

‘We all saw what happened inside the stadium and millions more watched on TV. It is not something that we can leave like that. Action has to be taken, but only after West Ham have given their views.’

UEFA is empowered to ban West Ham from its matches, or order them to play ties in next year’s Europa league in an empty stadium. But a fine will be considered and is the most likely punishment once the referees report has been examined and evaluated.

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Referee Carlos del Cerro Grande has included the disgraceful attacks on Fiorentina players in his report to UEFA.

One image showed the exact moment a beer glass, believed to have been made of hard formica plastic, struck the Italian’s captain Cristiano Biraghi leaving him wounded and bleeding from the back of his skull.

Biraghi was about to take a first half corner when supporters among the West Ham fan contingent bombarded him with glasses.

At one stage, in what appeared to be an attempt by him to make the situation humorous, he pretended to pick up one of the glasses and drink from it.

But seconds later, another one struck him on the back of his head, causing blood to run down his neck and on to his shirt for which he received treatment.

And the club said they will investigate, examine CCTV, and try to establish who the culprits were, and have them banned.