Europa Conference League 2022/23 - Fixtures & Results

West Ham players confront AZ Alkmaar fans after 'awful scenes' in stand..

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West Ham players confronted a group of AZ Alkmaar fans who attacked an area in which friends and family were watching the teams' Europa Conference League semi-final second leg.

Michail Antonio and Said Benrahma were among those who tried to intervene in the clashes moments after the Premier League team had reached the final.

BBC commentator Alistair Bruce-Ball, who was inside the stadium, said he saw punches being thrown by the AZ fans.

"These are awful scenes," he said.

During last week's first leg at London Stadium, family members of AZ players had been involved in a confrontation with West Ham fans.

Hammers manager David Moyes said his players were angered by what had happened in the AFAS Stadion.

"We'll need to wait for the dust to settle to see what it is but the biggest problem is that is the area where the players have all their families in," he said.

"That is where the problem came, and a lot of players were getting angry because they couldn't get to see if they were OK.

"We'll have to wait and ask the officials what really happened. I can only tell you that players were involved because that was the family area."

West Ham reached their first major European final since 1976 by beating their Dutch opponents 1-0 on the night and 3-1 on aggregate.

Moyes, who said his own family and friends were in the section that was attacked, added: "What I don't want to do in any way is blight our night. It wasn't West Ham supporters looking for trouble.

"Was I worried? Yeah, my family were there and I had friends in that section. You're hoping they would try to get themselves away from it.

"Security wanted to take me inside, but I had to make sure my players weren't involved."

AZ boss Pascal Jansen said: "What happened last week was very unfortunate and then you get the same feeling as what happened tonight.

"I feel a little bit ashamed it happened in our stadium but you have to control your emotions."

Former Hammers midfielder Joe Cole, who was part of the BT Sport team covering the match, said what happened was "absurd".

"Grown men attacking the West Ham fans," he said. "Players were trying to get involved to break it up.

"AZ Alkmaar fans turning up wearing balaclavas throwing punches is ridiculous. There were families."

'I can see punches being thrown'
Bruce-Ball, who was commentating for BBC Radio 5 Live in the AFAS Stadion, described the scenes as "unpleasant".

"Some fans clad in dark coats and hoods up came racing down in front of the lower tier of the stand to voice their dissatisfaction, and there is trouble to our right-hand side," he told listeners.

"The concern here is I think the West Ham family members and friends are in that section. Those are very, very unpleasant scenes.

"The West Ham players are being held back. I can see in the distance punches being thrown."

THE EUROPA CONFERENCE LEAGUE FINAL WILL BE PLAYED ON THE 7th JUNE AT PRAGUE'S EDEN ARENA.

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WEST HAM UNITED.............V.............FIORENTINA

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Capacity issues for Prague final..by Simon Stone, BBC Sport.

West Ham’s elation at reaching their first major final in 43 years is tempered by the knowledge the final venue in Prague will not be big enough to hold the number of people who want to see it.

Their opponents, Fiorentina, are a similar club in the sense it has a big following and little recent success, in their case their most recent trophy was the Coppa Italia in 2001.

Uefa believe the game will be shown in fan parks, which may help. However, with a 20,000 capacity and a 5,000 allocation each, there is a sense of nervousness around how this will be managed and whether the security around the game will be up to the job.
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Moyes enjoys memorable Hammers win.

AZ Alkmaar 0-1 West Ham (Agg 1-3)

Jose Mourinho actually got a tattoo of the European trophies he's won after Roma won last season's Europa Conference League.

David Moyes said he wouldn't do the same if West Ham win this season's Europa Conference League. The 60-year-old Scot was skipping across AZ Alkmaar's home turf like David Pleat last night though.

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AZ Alkmaar apologise after West Ham fans attacked at Europa Conference League semi-final

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AZ Alkmaar say their Europa Conference League semi-final against West Ham is "a night to reflect on with shame" after a section of the stadium where away fans were sitting was attacked.

Several West Ham players confronted the group of fans that had targeted an area containing their friends and family.

AZ said in a statement of apology: "Unfortunately, we cannot use the word 'supporters' for these people."

The club said they will "evaluate" the incident.

"While everyone hoped for a historic European match, it turned into a pitch black evening due to the events occurring at the referee's final whistle," AZ's statement added.

"It turned into a night to reflect on with shame. Not because of the football game played, but because of the behaviour of some visitors.

"What happened is beyond all bounds. The club again sincerely apologises to West Ham and the thousands of well minded AZ supporters who have also been inconvenienced by the misconduct.

"AZ is a civilised club where sportsmanship and norms and values are paramount. The club will do everything possible, together with the authorities involved, to identify these persons and to take appropriate measures."

West Ham's first-team coach Kevin Nolan has urged Uefa to issue tough punishments.

"If this was England, there would be lots of sanctions put on us. I hope they put loads of sanctions on the Dutch," Nolan said on 5 Live's Friday Football Social.

"I am disgusted that they would come and go for family which is what they did."

'There were stewards but no police'
A West Ham supporter sat in the area attacked by AZ fans said there were no police nearby and stewards could not cope, describing the incident at the AFAS Stadion as "scary".

"There were stewards there but no police to stop them," Russell Raphael told the BBC News Channel.

"More than 30 of them in balaclavas somehow breached their area and were running towards us.

"Some very brave West Ham fans, about 10 rows to our right, were doing their best to stop them, the stewards were doing their best.

"The players instead of celebrating with the main away support panicked and saw their families being threatened, so they very understandably ran to get involved.

"These [fans in] balaclavas, hooded, all dressed in black, it is a scary thing and we were very lucky not to be physically involved."

Michail Antonio and Said Benrahma were among the players who tried to intervene, while the 87-year-old father of West Ham manager David Moyes was reportedly sat in the stands in the Netherlands.

It is understood the families of the players were unharmed.

West Ham won the game 1-0 for a 3-1 aggregate victory.

"The security going in was fine. You expect to be herded like cattle in these away games, that's the way it is," added Raphael, who watched the match with his son, Aidan.

"They kept us back for a long time after the game and there was a lot of police going out. I didn't feel in danger around the ground. In the ground it was just stewards who were clearly unable to cope with what was going on.

"It must have taken 10 minutes for the police to arrive."

European football's governing body Uefa will review reports of the incidents before deciding on any action.

Dutch police said they were investigating footage of the incident but no arrests had been made.

'There was nothing we could do' - Moyes
"I was disappointed because I felt like it took the attention off the team and what we did," said Moyes on Friday.

"There was nothing we could do, or that West Ham as a club could do. Like anyone, if you saw your family members in trouble then you'd go and help out and that was the situation.

"Unfortunately it's taken up a lot of the news and time. But we're not letting it take away from the fact we reached the final, which is a brilliant achievement."

AZ Alkmaar manager Pascal Jansen said he was "a little bit ashamed" that the incident had happened in their stadium, while Pantelis Hatzidiakos was one of several AZ players who condemned the violence.

"I think it's sad what happened. My family was up there. I have been in contact with them and my girlfriend said they were shaking," the Greece defender told Dutch television.

"I don't even call them supporters. Just stay home if you have such intentions."

Europa Conference League: AZ Alkmaar issue 43 stadium bans after West Ham fans attacked..

AZ Alkmaar have issued 43 stadium bans after West Ham United fans were attacked during their Europa Conference League semi-final defeat.

Several Hammers players confronted the group of fans that had targeted an area containing their friends and family, who were unharmed.

The Premier League side won the second leg in the Netherlands 1-0 to secure a 3-1 victory on aggregate.

In a statement, the Dutch club said more bans could follow in the future.

European football's governing body Uefa will review reports of the incidents before deciding on any action.

The club said: "AZ has now issued 43 stadium bans in response to last week's disturbances. It concerns visitors who were involved in the misconduct surrounding the European semi-final in Alkmaar.

"It is by no means excluded that even more local stadium bans will be imposed. Apart from this decision from the club, the criminal investigation by the authorities is still ongoing."

Measures for Sunday's Eredivisie match between AZ and PSV Eindhoven are being discussed between relevant authorities.

West Ham will face Italian club Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final - their first major European final since 1976 - in Prague on 7th June.

Europa Conference League final: West Ham boss David Moyes says 'best is yet to come'..By Simon Stone, BBC Sport.

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West Ham boss David Moyes says "the best is yet to come" from the club as he prepares for his first European final in 25 years as a manager.

Moyes is hoping to lift the first significant silverware of his managerial career when West Ham take on Serie A side Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final on Wednesday.

But it is clear the 60-year-old views the game in Prague as the continuation of a journey rather the end of his time at the Premier League club.

"To be in a European final is a thrill," said Moyes. "For an experienced or a younger manager, to reach a final is one of the pinnacles in football.

"It is the start. I am enjoying being here and I have always said the best is to come."

The game can bring what has, at times, been a tortuous season to a glorious conclusion.

West Ham have not won a trophy since their FA Cup triumph in 1980. Their only European success came in the Cup Winners' Cup in 1965, with a team including Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters, who won the World Cup the following year and in tribute to whom a statue now stands outside the London Stadium.

Yet despite this lack of recent success, some fans believe even if West Ham win it should mark the end of Moyes' tenure.

The Scot still has a year left on his current deal and, in an interview with the London Evening Standard, he confirmed his intention to remain at the club despite being singled out for criticism during a heavy defeat at Brighton in March, a banner demanding 'Moyes Out' being displayed during a win at Fulham the following month and a new vacancy at boyhood club Celtic following Ange Postecoglou's departure for Tottenham.

"There are too many good things about what we have done to stop now," he said.

"When I saw that banner it was hurtful because it drains your power and strength to do things. When people continually question you though, it drains you. I've got to say it wasn't a good time. Did I feel lonely? Hugely."

Moyes will not feel lonely in the 20,000-capacity Eden Arena.

A huge family contingent will be supporting him at the game, including his 87-year-old dad, David Sr - not that Moyes is expecting pre-match words of inspiration.

"He will be in the pub," he laughed.

"I do have a huge following of family," he said. "All of you who have children and see your kids being successful will know how it feels.

"My dad is here tomorrow. Hopefully we can give him something to remember."

Moyes describes the game as his "biggest night" in football but dismissed suggestions winning it will see him become a legendary figure at the club.

Yet that is what awaits.

For midfielder Tomas Soucek and defender Vladimir Coufal the night could be even more special given the Czech internationals are both playing at a stadium so familiar from their time together at Slavia Prague.

"When I realised one year ago the final was here, I told all the players it had to be a big goal for this year," he said.

"This place, the pitch, the dressing rooms, the tunnel feel so comfortable. Now we are here I can connect the two teams I love.

"It is the chance to lift a trophy and, for me, it is special the final is in Prague."


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WEDNESDAY 7th JUNE 2023 - EUROPA CONFERENCE LEAGUE - FINAL - PRAGUE FORTUNA ARENA.

Fiorentina v West Ham United - 8pm

West Ham boss David Moyes says Wednesday's Europa Conference League final against Fiorentina will be the "biggest moment of my career".

The Hammers are bidding for a first trophy since the 1980 FA Cup, while Moyes has never won a major competition.

There will be 4,890 West Ham fans in Prague's 19,370-seater Fortuna Arena.

"Whether you're an experienced manager or a young one, sitting here for a final is the pinnacle," said Moyes.

"Hopefully this is just the start for us. I'm enjoying this one and enjoying the moment with everybody."

If they beat Fiorentina, they will be in next season's Europa League - otherwise they will not be in Europe.

"I think if we said this at the start of the season, people wouldn't have believed it," said Moyes about being in the final.

"It's a big achievement to get through to a European final. It's not easy to get all the way through and we've been competitive. It's a great achievement for all the players and the next part is to see if we can go on and win it.

"This competition has been so good for us. The squad and players have really enjoyed it and I think the results and performances in the Europa Conference League speak for themselves."

The game is being played at Slavia Prague, the former club of West Ham right-back Vladimir Coufal and midfielder Tomas Soucek.

Soucek said: "When I realised a year ago that the final was in Prague, for me it was like 'we need to go there'.

"We are here, in the Eden Arena in Prague, and I can connect my two teams who I love together. Tomorrow is the chance to lift the trophy here. For me, it would be so special.

"It will help me because I will feel at home, the locker room I know, the pitch I know. I have been here many times.

"West Ham have a great history but we can do even better to get a trophy for this club. We want to do it for the West Ham fans."

Fiorentina finished eighth in Serie A and lost the Coppa Italia final to Inter Milan.


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We asked you for your pre-match team talks for West Ham's Europa Conferance League final against Fiorentina.

Here are some of the best:

Matthew: Tonight is an opportunity. An opportunity to write your names into West Ham folklore. To be celebrated alongside Moore, Hurst and Peters. Bonds and Brooking. Greenwood and Lyall. But even more than that, it's an opportunity to repay a debt. A debt of unwavering loyalty and faith to tens of thousands of West Ham fans across the world. COYI!

Malcolm: Right, lads, it’s a simple game. Keep the ball on the ground, find a team-mate. No Roy of the Rovers passes. Always keep possession and definitely no time wasting. Man-marking is crucial at set-pieces. Let’s not give away costly fouls, especially around our penalty area. If it goes to a shootout: right-footers, ball in top right corner - likewise for left.

Rob: It's just another game lads, we've got to be 100% tonight. You're better than they are. They might be a tough team - but we're tougher. Just go out there, have fun, express yourselves, communication, tracking back, covering, throwing your bodies on the line. It's your chance for immortality. Let's have them. lads. COME ON!

Steve: Right, lads. Close your eyes. Imagine you are already 1-0 down after five minutes, so what will you do? Excellent. Hold that thought and start the game with that attitude! End of team talk!

Peter: All right, team, this is it. This is our moment. This is our chance to make history. Seize it, lads. Remember, we're not just playing for ourselves - we're playing for each other, our families, the fans, our country. Let's bring that trophy home. Let's go, West Ham. Everything you’ve got. All in. Now is your time, step up, hands in - one, two three, IRONS!

Alex: I would say nothing for ages and then just say: "How about it then?"

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