SEVEN AZ ALKMAAR fans have been detained by cops following a police appeal after last week’s disgusting attack on West Ham supporters.
The Dutch supporters reacted angrily to the Hammers’ 1-0 win in the Europa Conference League on Thursday.
The result meant David Moyes’ side progressed to the final 3-1 on aggregate and will now meet Fiorentina.
Pablo Fornals’ 94th minute strike sealed the victory, sparking AZ Alkmaar hooligans to attack a group of travelling friends and family of the Hammers’ players and coaching staff sat behind the dugout.
We reported how several West Ham players, including sporting director Mark Noble, rushed to help protect them from the thugs – who were dressed in black and wearing balaclavas.
Moyes also revealed how his elderly father was caught up in the mayhem.
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Then, footage shot by a witness in the stadium showed how one brave fan stepped in to defend those behind him in the terrifying scenes.
Dutch authorities used TV show Opsporing Verzocht to air CCTV images of the suspects involved in the incident in an appeal to find the culprits.
That led to a total of 26 men handing themselves in to cops, with seven of them being detained, but police say a further ten suspects are still being sought.
A spokesperson said: “There were people who we were not initially looking for, but who were afraid that they were in one of the photos.
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“It is therefore not the case that they are automatically all suspected of open violence.”
Alkmaar are set to face a hefty Uefa punishment which could include a fine and partial or even full stadium closure after being sanctioned twice in the past 15 months for poor fan behaviour.
Uefa are still deciding whether or not to launch a separate investigation into the incident, although no charges are likely to be announced until after the final in Prague next month.
But Alkmaar fans were banned from Sunday’s 3-0 win at NEC Nijmegen.
Meanwhile, hero West Ham fan Chis Knoll says he “nearly cried” when the club offered him a ticket for the final after fighting off Alkmaar thugs.
The 58-year-old stood up to the yobs and fought dozens of them at the same time as he defended the team’s loved ones.
His defiance was caught on camera and he quickly reached celebrity status among the West Ham faithful, who now dub him the “Angel of Alkmaar”.
Knollsy received a standing ovation from the home crowd on Sunday before West Ham’s final game of the season at London Stadium against Leeds.
And he also said it took him over an hour to leave the stadium as fellow fans expressed their gratitude for his bravery in the Netherlands.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
