Police say 23 Fiorentina, West Ham soccer fans detained around Europa Conference League final
PRAGUE (AP) — Czech police detained 23 West Ham and Fiorentina soccer fans for their behaviour in connection with the Europa Conference League final in Prague, authorities said Thursday.
One person is suspected of attacking a police officer, two others of hooliganism. The rest are suspected of committing various misdemeanours, including using flares and other pyrotechnics at various places in the Czech capital, police said.
Police didn’t give details about the detained fans. Interior Minister Vít Rakušan said only that as far their numbers the Italians “won.”
Police previously said Fiorentina fans attacked West Ham supporters in a bar in downtown Prague ahead of Wednesday’s final. Three West Ham fans and one police officer were injured in the incident while 16 people were detained.
Other incidents were reported by media between police and West Ham fans using flares while celebrating the 2-1 victory in Prague’s Old Town.
Police estimated some 35,000 fans arrived in Prague. Only about 10,000 from both teams had a ticket.
Fiorentina captain Cristiano Biraghi was hit in the head by empty beer cups thrown from the stands during the first half of the game at Eden Stadium.
West Ham condemned the incident and said it will investigate.
___
More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
