West Ham United have vowed to ban the fan responsible for throwing the missile that left Fiorentina's captain bloodied in the Europa Conference League final.
Play was halted for several minutes during the first half after a number of objects were hurled onto the pitch from the stands. And there were almost serious consequences as Cristiano Biraghi prepared to take a corner for the Italian side.
The left-back was left with a deep cut after being hit, with blood visibly streaming down the back of his head and neck. The unsavoury incident led skipper Declan Rice and his fellow players to appeal for calm among their travelling supporters.
And the club have since released a statement vowing to take strong action: “West Ham United unreservedly condemn the behaviour of a small number of individuals who threw objects onto the pitch during tonight’s UEFA Europa Conference League final," they said.
"These actions have no place in football, and do not in any way represent the values of our football club and the overwhelming majority of our supporters, who have behaved impeccably in Prague this week and throughout our last two seasons in European competition.
"We will work with the Police and other stakeholders to review the incidents and act against anyone found guilty of an offence. In line with our zero-tolerance approach, anyone identified will have their details passed to the police and will be given an indefinite ban and therefore be unable to enter London Stadium and travel with the Club. There is no place for this kind of behaviour at West Ham United.”
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Prior to the game, Hammers fans had been attacked by a group of Italians in Prague, with the Fiorentina 'ultras' using fireworks and chairs as weapons in disgusting pre-match scenes. Police later confirmed 30 men had been apprehended in the aftermath of the attack.
The off-field controversy tainted an otherwise glorious night for the London club, who sealed a first European trophy since 1965 in glorious fashion. Jarrod Bowen's late goal gave them a 2-1 win, sparking emotional celebrations from manager David Moyes and his players.
It was also the club's first major silverware of any kind since winning the FA Cup in 1980. And it will mean more European adventures for Moyes' men, who have now qualified for next season's Europa League.
