West Ham’s Europa League semi-final second leg against Eintracht Frankfurt ended in ugly scenes as pitch-invading home supporters had to be repelled from the away end by riot police, while two visiting fans were arrested for performing Nazi salutes.
Frankfurt secured their place in this month’s final in Seville thanks to a 1-0 win on the night over the ten-man Hammers, which wrapped up a 3-1 aggregate victory following their win at the London Stadium last week.
Fans from the tier of Frankfurt ultras behind one goal flooded the field at full-time to greet their heroes, despite please from several home players to return to the stands, but things turned sour when a large number continue the length of the field to gaud the travelling West Ham section.
Projectiles were thrown from the away end before German riot police charged to repel then offending home fans, some wielding batons.
In a tweet Frankfurt Police said: “Our forces arrested a person in the guest block who had previously shown the Hitler salute,” before later adding that a second person had been arrested for the same offence.
It comes after the build-up to the game was marred by violence, as had been feared following clashes between the supporters in Seville earlier this season, when a group of Frankfurt ultras attacked West Ham fans in a bar, with the two teams playing knockout ties in the Spanish city on consecutive nights.
More than 30 people were arrested on the day before the game and two West Ham fans hospitalised after being left unconscious in an attack in the city’s Schulstrasse area.
A number of incidents were also reported earlier this week, including an attack on West Ham fans in the early hours of Wednesday morning that left a 34-year-old British man hospitalised with minor injuries.
