A WEST Ham fan has been seriously hurt after being hit by a road sweeper before tonight’s Europa quarter-final clash with Leverkusen.
The 68-year-old was hit at a pedestrian traffic light near Cologne Cathedral, close to where hundreds of Hammers were singing and enjoying beers.
It is understood he may have fallen under the truck’s brushes and suffered head injuries.
The machine then struck a traffic light pole, which left the driver injured.
Cops said the West Ham fan suffered “life-threatening injuries” on Wednesday night.
But his condition has stabilised today after he was treated by doctors in hospital, reports the Mail.
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Around 4,000 West Ham fans are in Germany ahead of today’s game at 8pm.
But only 1,750 have tickets for the quarter-final first leg with Bayer Leverkusen.
Meanwhile, Europe’s leading fan group has slammed Uefa over the “paltry” ticket allocation for the Europa League final in Dublin.
Liverpool and West Ham will be given 12,000 tickets each if they reach the Aviva Stadium on May 22, representing just half the 48,000 capacity.
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Fans of both clubs have just days to apply for the initial allocation of £34 “Fans First” seats that are available from a further 12,000 tickets on sale.
But Football Supporters Europe (FSE) led the attack on Uefa, urging Europe’s governing body to perform a U-turn, increase the club allocations and “do right” by fans.
West Ham fired their way into the Europa League quarter-finals after already eliminating another German side, Freiburg, 5-0 last month.
David Moyes took the handbrake off and was rewarded with five goals, including two stunners from Mohammed Kudus.
Tonight West Ham will face Leverkusen, before the German side makes their way to London next week for a second clash next Thursday.
Leverkusen are so far unbeaten this Europa League season – scoring 24 goals in their eight games.
Midfielder Kalvin Phillips didn’t travel to Cologne with his teammates after suffering a hamstring strain in training on Tuesday.
The on-loan Manchester City midfielder will also miss Sunday’s London derby against Fulham and is likely to miss the visit to Crystal Palace on April 21.
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And West Ham are still unclear as to when Jarrod Bowen will return from his back injury, though there is hope he will be able to feature in the second leg against Bayer Leverkusen next week.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
