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Kids left in tears

Fighting breaks out ‘among West Ham fans’ at Olympic Stadium after Watford loss

Hammers supporters were reportedly scrapping with each other as club vow lifetime bans

FIGHTING broke out among West Ham fans at the Olympic Stadium as scared children left the ground in tears.

The Hammers had thrown away a two-goal lead to Watford after Michail Antonio's brace.

But tensions boiled over in the stands - as supporters of Slaven Bilic's side apparently started on each other.

Some messages posted to social media claimed that the stewards were not quick enough to intervene when trouble started.

One user claimed to have seen five different scraps between Hammers fans.

And he even said one of the bust-ups was over a spilled drink.

 Stewards battle to control a section of fans during the West Ham game
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Stewards battle to control a section of fans during the West Ham gameCredit: Getty Images

SunSport reporter Duncan Wright was at the scene, he said: "West Ham face serious questions over their crowd safety after fighting broke out at the Olympic Stadium.

"Hammers fans attempted to start brawls with Watford fans as they watched the Hornets win 4-2.

"And the lack of reaction from stewards on duty allowed trouble to spill out between rival supporters.

"Fighting went on for five minutes without any other stewards of police rushing to quash the trouble midway through the second half.

"There is minimal segregation in the stadium, and the dozen or so stewards patrolling the area were powerless to prevent the problem.

"It is the second match marred by trouble, with footage emerging of fighting during the Europa League defeat to Astra.

"On that occasion it emerged the stewards were not trained to physically intervene in trouble."

West Ham later released a state condemning the scenes and vowing to ban for life individuals involved.

The statement read: "West Ham United unreservedly condemn the behaviour of the individuals involved in incidents during today's fixture against Watford.

"While these isolated incidents were quickly brought under control, this behaviour has no place in football and West Ham United will work tirelessly to eradicate such incidents.

"We are currently undertaking an immediate full review with all stakeholders. This includes police, stadium landlord and operator LS185, who are responsible for appointing and managing stewards and security, to ensure we eradicate such incidents moving forward.
 The rival sets of fans clashed in the stands of the Olympic Stadium
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The rival sets of fans clashed in the stands of the Olympic StadiumCredit: Getty Images

"Our policy on this behaviour remains one of zero tolerance and we will work with the police and other stakeholders to identify the individuals involved.

"Once identified, they will be banned from attending any West Ham United fixture for life and we will request the courts serve banning orders to prevent these individuals attending any football."
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