West Ham vs Chelsea crowd trouble: Girl, 8, 'pelted with coins' during clashes at London Stadium

The girl was said to have been hit by coins thrown by West Ham fans
Rex
Patrick Grafton-Green27 October 2016
WEST END FINAL

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A football fan has said he and his eight-year-old daughter were pelted with coins as violence broke out during last night's EFL Cup match between West Ham and Chelsea.

Riot police were forced to intervene and seven fans were arrested as skirmishes marred the game at the former Olympic Stadium in Stratford.

The unamed Chelsea supporter told the BBC his daughter had been attending games for six years and had never experienced anything like it.

He said: "(She's) been going since she's two. She's never experienced violence like this before or the aggression that we've had to suffer.

West Ham and Chelsea fans clash - in pictures

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"We've never been hit by coins before - to be hit by seven of them in one evening, that's why we've kept them. We want to take this matter further."

Seven men have been arrested for public order offences following the London Stadium clash, during which plastic bottles, seats and coins were hurled among the crowd.

The Metropolitan Police said a "significant number" of officers needed to be deployed in the stadium to deal with the "unacceptable" scenes.

Fans during the clashes
PA

Commander BJ Harrington, who led the operation, said most fans were well behaved but an unruly minority were "clearly intent on being involved in confrontation and violence".

He said: "Despite extensive work with both clubs and the London Stadium partners as well as a large and robust policing operation, there were unacceptable incidents inside and outside the stadium, before, during and after the game."

Both clubs have issued statements condemning the skirmishes, which are under investigation by police.

West Ham manager Slaven Bilic described the scenes as "unacceptable", while the club "unreservedly" condemned those involved, who they will seek to identify.

The club said: "Once identified, those found to have acted improperly will be banned from attending any West Ham United fixtures for life and we will request the courts serve banning orders to prevent these individuals attending any other football."

London Stadium has been West Ham's home for nine games after leaving the Boleyn Ground in Upton Park in May.

A Chelsea spokesman said: "The club is extremely disappointed to see disturbances at the end of tonight's game and we condemn such behaviour."

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