West Ham fans arrested in Palermo Thursday 28 September, 2006
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Over 20 West Ham fans were arrested after a night of clashes in Palermo, ahead of the Hammers’ meeting with the Rosanero in the UEFA Cup tonight.
The tension was already high after the first leg at Upton Park, when the local supporters sold T-shirts reading ‘The Hammers vs The Mafia’, including the stereotypical image of a hand holding puppet strings – often associated to the infamous criminal organisation.
The shirts were sold outside of the ground in London before the Rosanero’s 1-0 win, causing harsh reactions from the Sicilian authorities.
The West ham supporters clashed with their Palermo rivals in the town centre, in front of the city's Teatro Massimo and it took the police over an hour to bring the situation under control, with six fans hospitalised for minor injuries.
More than 2,500 West Ham fans are expected in Palermo for the game and extra security has been foreseen, after it became clear on Tuesday that it could be an explosive match.
The Hammers were forced to change their plans after their arrival on the island, as two banners bearing the slogans ‘Welcome to the wonderful land of Mafia’ and ‘We will win without the aid of Mafia’ were hung next to the original training venue.
A police spokesman appealed to both groups of fans to stay calm and not react to future provocations.
"The clashes were in the city centre between two groups of fans and left the streets covered in glass - it was a huge battle which took more than an hour to control.
"We ask all the Palermo and West Ham supporters to keep calm and not react to provocation from opposition fans."
Buy on AliExpress.com
