West Ham fans set for Europa Conference League final letdown after UEFA mistake
Thousands of West Ham fans are set for Europa Conference League final disappointment with UEFA set to give the club only 5,000 tickets for their showdown against Fiorentina in Prague on June 7.
David Moyes’ side secured a 1-0 win away to AZ Alkmaar tonight to progress 3-1 on aggregate having edged last week's first leg at London Stadium.
On a tense night in the Netherlands, West Ham spurned a couple of decent chances to kill the tie but defended resolutely throughout and substitute Pablo Fornals scored a clinical counterattacking goal in the fourth minute of added time to spark wild celebrations from the visitors.
West Ham say they have 55,000 season ticket holders, meaning only 9 per cent will get a seat for next month's showdown.
Pablo Fornals celebrating with some of his West Ham team-mates in front of the travelling fans away to AZ AlkmaarUEFA have privately acknowledged the mistake of hosting the final in the 18,000-capacity Eden Arena, which is home to Slavia Prague, and are committed to ensuring future host grounds have a significantly greater capacity.
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Another 3,000 tickets are being sold to fans who had until late April to apply for a ballot, with the remaining 5,000 split between officials and corporate sponsors. Ticket prices start at €25 and are capped at €125.
The East London club's last major trophy came in the 1980 FA Cup and their most recent appearance in a European final came in the 1975-76 Cup Winners' Cup.
An elated Aaron Cresswell said: "Emotions are running high. I'm sure every West Ham fan is delighted. To be in a final is massive. This is what the club deserves. Let's hope we can go one more step. Pablo's found it hard to get game time of late but he never shies away and gives everything for the badge. I'm lost for words, I'm so happy."
There were, however, some ugly scenes at full time as a number of Alkmaar fans appeared to attack families of the West Ham players. That led to the coaching staff and a number of players, including Declan Rice and Aaron Cresswell, remonstrating before police stepped in.
"You have AZ fans turning up with balaclavas throwing punches.," former West Ham player Joe Cole said on BT Sport in his role as a pundit. "Families, friends and kids maybe over there. It was completely pathetic.
"For so long English football has been in the doldrums with hooliganism, we get a bad reputation for it but what we saw there was absolutely pathetic."
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