Chris Knoll is called the «Angel of Alkmaar». some fans Photo: Tom Gibbs
'Knollsey', the West Ham fan who fought off dozens of violent AZ Alkmaar ultras on Thursday night, was welcomed into the London stadium on Sunday as a returning hero.
As Chris Knoll climbed the stairs of block 214 on the top tier of the stadium, the 58-year-old was applauded from all sides for his bravery in defending West Ham fans in a post-European brawl. Conference League semi-finals.
Rocks on arrival at Knollsy.#WHUFC pic.twitter.com/Q25ZDscsZ1
— Tom Rennie (@thomasjrennie) May 21, 2023
Knoll was filmed single-handedly fighting off a group of aggressive fans who were trying to attack West Ham supporters who had traveled to Holland. He now has a blackened left eye as a memento from the trip, but between posing for selfies with fans, he said, «We live to fight another day.»
His terrible eye was checked, but no bones were broken. "It was a crazy night" he said, “a rare example of the correct use of this adjective. "After that, we went to a bar in Amsterdam, had a few drinks, celebrated the victory, and then realized that it was already four in the morning.
«We had to check in at five, so it was a crazy rush to return to the hotel, we did not sleep there and landed at Heathrow at seven o'clock.» p>
After failing to get a ticket from most of the traveling West Ham fans, Knoll «went into semi-corporate mode». to Alkmaar, discovering that it was the only way to watch the match in person. The club has not contacted him officially as social media has made him a cult hero and he does not have a ticket for next month's final against Fiorentina in Prague.
" If you take away all the craziness of what happened, it was still a night that I will remember for the rest of my life" Knoll said. “If I don’t get a ticket for the final, it will be my final. I've been a West Ham fan since I was 15 and have only seen us win one major trophy, the 1980 FA Cup Final."
Chris Knoll (right) with a West Ham fan on the London Underground before the match. Photo: Twitter. #34;the only one who shares my passion" He says. She was not with him in Holland. «He said there was no place for a lady here, and lo and behold, his point was confirmed.» she said.
“He sent a message to the family group chat at 1am, but I didn’t look at it before I went to work. I walked in and everyone was showing me pictures of this West Ham fan and I was like, 'That looks like my dad, no wait, that's my dad.' So I called him and asked him if he was ok and he said 'Yes, I'm ok'.
Prague Police: There will be no problems at the Conference League Final
West Ham fans in Friday's statement United' The Trust claimed that the Arizona ultras attack was deliberate.
"WHUST members present at the game reported that there were no problems where the bulk of West Ham fans gathered, and the police provided them with good security" The Trust said.
"The incidents we've seen appear to have involved a masked and hooded gang in a pre-planned and unprovoked attack on the players' friends and family members. 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 personnel to provide adequate protection to the vulnerable group"
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