' Photo: @Freddiebonfa on Twitter.
A fearless West Ham fan who has defended players' families from Dutch hooligans has described how he fought off a horde of violent thugs because he 'doesn't tolerate hooligans'.
< p>Chris Knoll, 58, recovering from hip surgery, has been hailed a «legend» by fans after leading the defense against Alkmaar's marauding ultras after winning the Europa Conference League semi-finals on Thursday night.
Yet a regular terrace known among supporters like "Knollsy" and now "Angel of Alkmaar" spoke modestly about his efforts on Friday, recalling the dramatic scenes.
"I'm not a hero" said Knoll, a father of four from Hampton, Middlesex. «It was just a hunch, I went for it.» he told Telegraph Sport. “I knew you had to do something because if you didn’t try to defend yourself we would end up on the wrong side of some pretty nasty beatings, I just defended myself the best I could.”
West Ham fans, including the players' friends and families, were attacked after the final whistle of their 1-0 victory at the AFAS stadium in Alkmaar.
A group of black-shirted AZ ultras tore down the gates of the stadium before charging at a small group of West Ham fans seated behind dugouts in the 20,000-seat arena.
But the attackers from the Netherlands were met. with fierce resistance from West Ham fans, with photos and footage of the night showing individual fans defending the families behind them while fighting off attackers.
One such fan was Knoll, who can be seen in photos in a torn T-shirt exchanging punches with several balaclava-clad Dutch ultras. Speaking from his home in the Hamptons, west London, and still injured from the scandal, he said he decided to intervene after spotting "50 or 60" ultras "with hoods and balaclavas" go to his section.
"I knew something was going to happen" the electrician said. "It was a case of either doing nothing and maybe a little beating, or doing something about it. So I just took the high ground and positioned myself at the bottom of the stairs, where I knew they should come up.”
Freddie Bonfanti, who was in the crowd, was among the hundreds of fans who showered praise on the hill for the supporters' defense. He wrote on social media: “Knollsey is a legend. Prevented home supporters from reaching the players' families.» West Ham and France goalkeeper Alphonse Areola also called Knoll a «legend». for help in keeping the players' families are safe.
On the praise he received from Areola, he added, “I'm very proud that it's really nice to get a message from a player. And a lot of recognition from other people. But it was done on the defensive, it was not an act of aggression. They came within 50 yards of us, so it was just a case of damage control."
Knollsy legend. Prevented home supporters from reaching the families of the players. Give him a ticket to the final @WestHam @WestHamHelp @AwayDays_ #COYI pic.twitter.com/Rs8RhTvU1m
— Freddie Bonfanti (@freddiebonfa) May 18, 2023
Explaining his actions, he said, «We bring it up in our kids, I have four kids and we just won't tolerate bullies or anything like that, and it's gone. to my family too. This is what I tried to promote in life, that you don't tolerate bullies. I will not tolerate them, my children will not tolerate them.”
"I just thought the best form of defense was offense" he added. «You could see they were going to cause trouble and I didn't want them to get to those behind us.»
Bonfanti, also in the crowd, had previously explained how «Knollsey is a legend" «recently had hip replacement surgery and just couldn't run.» «He's also a proud man and he genuinely cared about the players' partners and ex-West Ham players sitting around us.» Bonfanti added. “He did what he had to do. I'm proud to call him my friend and I'm glad he stopped what could have been a much worse incident.
«We were sitting behind [West Ham defender] Thilo Kehrer's girlfriend. Nolsey was worried about her and climbed up the stairs, fighting off the raging fans of Alkmaar. He's a great guy and did what he thought was right at the time. He stopped those fans.”
This West Ham fat man, defending himself against the crowd, is too big. I guess he's a hero in his town now 😂 pic.twitter.com/Spj6xWY5y9
— rufus666 (@fumanchu6666) May 18, 2023
Bonfanti added that in 2021 West Ham's Declan Rice sent Knolsey a message of encouragement when he was in «bad shape». at least a dozen AZ fans from the top of the stairs in the stands.
West Ham players also tried to join the fray, with Flynn Downes, Michael Antonio and Said Benrahma among those trying to get through. to the stands.
UEFA will wait for full reports overnight before deciding what disciplinary action to take against AZ and their supporters. It is speculated that they may also appoint an inspector to investigate the situation more in depth.
In the coming days, UK police officers will also be meeting with Czech counterparts ahead of the final in Prague amid mounting pressure on forces to make sure there are «steel ring»; the security plan is in effect.
Eyewitness: A flurry of bodies as players defend their families
Sam Dean
The immediate reaction of many West Ham United players and managers after the final whistle of the famous European victory, was running around the field and celebrating with their fans in the far corner of the AZ Alkmaar AFAS stadium.
However, in less than a few seconds, they realized that behind them, in the other direction, something terribly wrong was going on. Whistles, screams and screams from the stands drew their attention to the situation unfolding behind the dugouts, where club officials, sponsors and — most importantly, from the West Ham players' point of view — friends and family of the team were sitting.
It didn't take long underground to figure out what was going on. A horde of AZ fans, some wearing balaclavas and most with hoods pulled down, rushed towards the small group of fans in the distance near the halfway line. It soon became clear that they did just that, breaking the metal gate and breaking through the crowd of stewards.
The broadcast cameras at these moments were focused on the West Ham players, and did not film the worst. From the press box, farther away from the same podium, it was obvious that the night had been ugly. A mass of bodies, a mess of limbs and the sight of dozens of thugs in black shirts and black hoods trying to hurt others.
Arizona faces stadium closure after hooligans attacked West Ham fans
The blood was still churning in their veins after 90 minutes of play and the West Ham players reacted instinctively. Breaking through the bodies, they tried to rush into battle and protect their loved ones.
Flynn Downes, a young West Ham midfielder, succeeded for a short time. After jumping over the field barrier, the 24-year-old could be seen brandishing his fists at a group of black-shirted attackers before being dragged away.
Said Benrahma and Mikhail Antonio also attacked, while others, including Lucas Paqueta and Aaron Cresswell, were forcibly detained by stewards and officials. Such was Paqueta's desperation to get into trouble that it took four men to stop him.
West Ham manager David Moyes had friends and family in this part of the stadium. Club security officers tried to drag him towards the dressing room, but he put up strong resistance. «I had to make sure my players weren't involved,» he said afterwards.
West Ham fans protect local families Amid the chaos, West Ham fans have expressed concern about home supporters caught in the middle of the action. One traveling fan told Telegraph Sport that young Dutch families were forced to run across the seats, their children were terrified and their eyes filled with tears.
At the time, amidst the barrage of bodies, it was difficult to know what would stop the AZ ultras from advancing further. It was later revealed that West Ham fans proved to be just as resilient in the stands as their players were on the pitch. Among them was Chris Knoll, who was quickly dubbed the «Angel of Alkmaar» for his role in preventing the Dutch supporters from gaining ground.
Other West Ham fans stood on the stairs holding back the AZ supporters with a flurry of punches. punches and kicks. There is a kind of moat around the AFAS stadium and there were moments when the battle seemed almost medieval.
Perhaps frightened by the magnitude of the problem before them, the attackers soon turned their backs. The stewards intervened and the problem was fixed. The West Ham players were then able to return to their original plan by rushing across the field towards the fans in the far corner. A few minutes later, their celebrations continued in the locker room.
The consequences will certainly be devastating for AZ. UEFA may appoint a special inspector to fully investigate what happened. “Unfortunately, we cannot use the word 'supporters' for these people,” AZ said in a statement. "It's turned into a night to think about in shame.»
Calls for a 'ring of steel' around West Ham's Conference League final in Prague
By mid-morning on Friday, there were none arrests. By noon, the West Ham United Fans were demanding answers from UEFA and the Dutch police about how the Arizona ultras could launch the attack so easily.
“The incidents that we saw involved a pre-planned and unprovoked attack by a masked and hooded gang on friends and family members of the players,” the report said. “This seems to be a serious shortcoming on the part of the security and police forces in terms of intelligence and prevention, as well as a lack of officers to provide adequate protection to the vulnerable group.”
Naturally. , there will be concerns about the upcoming final in Prague, where West Ham will face Fiorentina. But to suggest that itinerant supporters are somehow to blame for these scenes of chaos would be the laziest of assumptions. This was done by AZ fans without any provocation. Indeed, a group of British journalists were warned before the game to «beware of idiots» about the level of threat.
When the dust settled on Friday, most of the traveling fans returned to London. Many of them will be shocked, but they will also be proud of how they protected each other, protecting their own, on a night that will go down in history as one of the most dramatic in West Ham's European history.
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