West Ham’s victory in the Europa Conference League Last Wednesday night was overshadowed by the unruly behavior of the club’s supporters, who began throwing objects onto the pitch during the first half of the match.
Fiorentina captain Cristiano Biraghi was left covered in blood after sustaining a head injury.
Both clubs issued statements on Thursday condemning the actions of those fans, prompting an investigation by UEFA.
Cristiano Biraghi of ACF Fiorentina during the UEFA Conference League Final match between ACF Fiorentina and West Ham United at Eden Arena, Prague, Czech Republic, June 7, 2023. (Giuseppe Maffia/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
«Biraghi was struck on the head by an object thrown from the casing of the support West Ham fans in the 33rd minute of the first half when he was about to take a corner kick,» Fiorentina said in a statement.
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«Clearly, this unacceptable behavior affected the performance of the footballer and his teammates, who were diverted from football matters by threats to their own safety.»
According to the team, Biraghi required eight stitches.
Cristiano Biraghi of ACF Fiorentina receives medical treatment during the 2022-23 UEFA Europa Conference League Final match between ACF Fiorentina and West Ham United FC at Eden Arena on June 7, 2023 in Prague, Czech Republic. (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
«The club is sure that UEFA will thoroughly assess the incident and duly sanction those responsible for this act, giving an appropriate response and setting an example so that situations like this never happen again,» Fiorentina said.
West Ham, which celebrated the end of a 58-year wait for a European trophy with a 2-1 win over Fiorentina, said on Thursday it will work with authorities to review the incident.
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«West Ham United unreservedly condemns the behavior of a small number of people who threw objects onto the pitch during tonight’s UEFA Europa Conference League final,» the statement said.
«These actions have no place in football and do not in any way represent the values of our football club and the vast majority of our fans, who have behaved impeccably in Prague this week and during our last two seasons in competition. european.
«In accordance with our zero-tolerance approach, anyone identified will pass their details on to the police and they will be banned indefinitely and therefore will not be able to enter the London stadium and travel with the club. There is no place for this kind of behavior». at West Ham United.»
Fiorentina’s Cristiano Biraghi receives treatment for a head injury after being hit by an object thrown by the crowd during the 2022-23 UEFA Europa Conference League Final match between ACF Fiorentina and West Ham United FC at Eden Arena on 7 June 2023 in Prague. Czech Republic. (Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)
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Czech police have detained 23 West Ham and Fiorentina fans for their behavior in Prague, authorities said on Thursday.
One person is suspected of attacking a police officer, two others of vandalism. The rest are suspected of committing various petty offences, including the use of sparklers and other pyrotechnic items at various locations in the Czech capital, police said.
Associated Press contributed to this report.