West Ham supporters are expected to arrive in Germany ahead of the Premier League club’s crucial Europa League semi-final decider against Eintracht Frankfurt. The Hammers are aiming for their first European semi-final appearance since 1976, and a large British contingent is likely to travel to Frankfurt to support David Moyes’ side.
However, there have been concerns that opposing hooligan groups may detract from the occasion, so Frankfurt police have been liaising with Scotland Yard to ensure the match runs well. A ring of steel security presence is one of these reassuring measures, and police have already advised ticketless supporters to stay in Frankfurt’s central neighborhoods rather than travel to Deutsche Bank.
Fans from West Ham and Frankfurt clashed in Seville during the last-16 stage, when their teams met Sevilla and Real Betis, respectively. The team’s first leg at the London Stadium, however, went off without a hitch, despite West Ham identifying the perpetrators accused of assaulting two German commentators during the game.’
For the entire game, we have a very large concept,” said Thomas Hollerbach, a press liaison with the Frankfurt Police Department. “Not only the stadium but the entire city—particularly the inner city—is affected. Thursday, you won’t be able to find a street corner without cops. ‘ We’d want to talk. There will be folks who can communicate in English there. Traditionally, our fans do not do anything stupid on their own turf,’ Hollerbach added.
While Hollerbach feels that West Ham’s ticketless supporters will not cause too much trouble, he reminded the traveling contingent that watching the game from a nearby location will not be an option.
“It’s likely that 1,500 British supporters will arrive in Frankfurt without a ticket,” Hollerbach said. Germany’s football stadium infrastructure differs slightly from that of England.
You have stadiums surrounded by pubs, so you can simply walk across the street and sit in a pub to watch the game. But, because it’s outside the city, we don’t have that in Frankfurt.” “
The Met Police are assisting the German police in their efforts to keep the public safe, avoid crime and disturbance, and respond effectively to any events during West Ham’s Europa League semi-final in Frankfurt,” according to a statement from Scotland Yard. After goals from Ansgar Knauff and Daichi Kamada, either side of a Michail Antonio strike handed the Bundesliga outfit a 2-1 lead, Moyes’ side will look to overturn the deficit on Thursday.
