David Moyes insists he is confident West Ham players will NOT be punished after they jumped into crowds to protect their families during shock violence in Alkmaar
David Moyes is confident his West Ham players will not be punished for jumping into the stands to protect their families on Thursday night.
AZ Alkmaar are sure to be charged after the scandalous scenes in the wake of West Ham’s 1-0 win, which confirmed they would play in the Europa Conference League final on June 7.
Captain Declan Rice and teammates Said Benrahma, Flynn Downes and Mikhail Antonio were the players involved and it remains to be seen whether the European governing body will charge them with inappropriate conduct.
West Ham will certainly fight if it happens, as the players genuinely feared their friends and families were in danger from Dutch ‘ultras’.
Manager Moyes indicated that he didn’t think it would get that far. “I don’t see any problem, to be honest,” he said. “I’m working with UEFA on the technical stuff and I don’t think we’ll have any questions about that, that’s my own opinion.”
David Moyes is confident his players will not be penalized for jumping into the stands
Lucas Paqueta (right) and Said Benrahma (left) were among some of the players who intervened
West Ham’s Premier League campaign was mostly a battle to avoid relegation, but the 3–1 win over Leeds in their final home game of the season lifted them to 14th.
Many fans had called for Moyes to be sacked earlier this season, but he and Nottingham Forest’s Steve Cooper have both provided safety following backing from the board.
The prospect of a first European final in 47 years has reassured critics of the Scot’s style of play and many fans have remained behind to applaud the players during a victory lap.
“If you’re a West Ham supporter, there’s nothing you can do but applaud the team and how they’ve performed, because they’ve done a remarkable job,” said Moyes. “I hope we have something we can really give them to cheer about in a week or so.”