UEFA give Alkmaar measly penalty for attack on West Ham fans including Knollsy
AZ Alkmaar have been fined €80,125 (£68,768) by UEFA after their fans attacked West Ham players' families - but the Dutch club will avoid a stadium closure for the horrific scenes that marred their Conference League semi-final.
Thugs from AZ broke through a barrier and made their way to an area hosting the loved ones of West Ham stars at full-time of the game on May 18 - only for the visitors, including David Moyes’s 87-year-old father, to be protected by a small number of Hammers fans.
One of them, Chris “Knollsy” Knoll, became a hero overnight for his bravery in confronting the Dutch thugs and received personal thank you messages from several players. Several West Ham players also became involved in the incident as they attempted to force the AZ ultras away from their families
But UEFA have now confirmed that AZ will not even have to play their next home game in European competition without supporters.
In a statement UEFA said it would fine AZ Alkmaar €7,125 (£6,115) for throwing of objects; €15,000 (£12,873) for lighting of fireworks; €8,000 (£6,866) for blocking of public passageways and €50,000 (£42,913) for crowd disturbances and its failure to ensure that spectators cannot move from one sector to another.
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The governing body added that AZ Alkmaar would be forced to “play its next UEFA competition match as host club behind closed doors” but that charge is “suspended for a probationary period of two years, starting from the date of the present decision.”
West Ham's Pablo Fornals scored late on to earn a 1-0 win as Moyes's side progressed to the final 3-1 on aggregate. And they went on to beat Fiorentina in the final to secure their first major trophy in more than 40 years.
Knoll, a 58-year-old electrician who was recovering from hip surgery at the time, said after the incident: “I don’t like bullies.
AZ Alkmaar thugs attempt to attack the families of West Ham players. (DeFodi Images via Getty Images)“You could see they were intent on causing trouble and I did not want them to get to those behind us. I saw them all congregate on the side of the pitch and then they broke down the barriers and headed to the first group of West Ham fans.
“I know what they were intent on doing and was not going to let it happen. It was fairly obvious what was going to happen because they were intent on coming to us. They were the ultras, you could see that from what they were wearing. I just decided I wasn't going to let them come up.
“I just thought the best form of defence would be to get to the top of the stairs where they were coming up and just stood there and tried to stop them. I know they were swinging punches and I just did my best to stand there and take it.”
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