West Ham chief says sorry for bus attack
Premier League: West Ham chief Sullivan apologises publicly for fans' attack on United bus
West Ham co-chairman David Suillivan had earlier blamed Manchester United for the delay to the start of West Ham's final match at Upton Park after their coach was attacked.
Even still, he began his apology by rather bizarrely focusing on the positives from the night.
"If we were to have scripted how our final game at the Boleyn would have played out, it wouldn't have been much different to last night's match," he wrote.
[LIFE BANS IN STORE FOR UNULY HAMMERS FANS]
"The West Ham family then all celebrated our legends and former players together in what was a truly fitting ceremony to say goodbye to our home of 112 years.
"Sadly, the actions of very small minority of people outside the ground prior to kick-off risks overshadowing those celebrations.
General view as bottles are thrown at the Manchester United team bus before the match
"I want to be clear - their behaviour was completely unacceptable and does not represent our Club or our values.
"When
I was asked about the incident prior to yesterday's game, I was unaware
of the damage that had occurred to the Manchester United team bus.
"I
want to apologise to Manchester United for that damage and assure them
that we will be doing all we can to track down those responsible and ban
them for life.
"This
morning I have already tasked my senior team to work with the police to
identify them as their behaviour belongs in the past and not in a
future that promises so much for our great Club.
"I
truly hope that in due course we will look back on what happened in the
stadium rather than what happened outside and remember our farewell to
the Boleyn for all the right reasons."
That hope at
least seems highly unlikely; this match will be certain to go down in
history as the day United's team bus was besieged.
West Ham co-chairman David Suillivan has blamed Manchester United for the delay to the start of West Ham's final match at Upton Park after their coach was attacked.
The club issued an apology on Wednesday morning for the scenes
at the Hammers' last home game at the Boleyn Ground, and Sullivan
himself later posted a further statement reiterating the message.
Even still, he began his apology by rather bizarrely focusing on the positives from the night.
""If we were to have scripted how our final game at the Boleyn
would have played out, it wouldn't have been much different to last
night's match," he wrote.
"The West Ham family then all celebrated our legends and former
players together in what was a truly fitting ceremony to say goodbye to
our home of 112 years.
"Sadly, the actions of very small minority of people outside the
ground prior to kick-off risks overshadowing those celebrations.
General view as bottles are thrown at the Manchester United team bus before the match - Reuters
"I want to be clear - their behaviour was completely unacceptable and does not represent our Club or our values.
"When I was asked about the incident prior to yesterday's game, I
was unaware of the damage that had occurred to the Manchester United
team bus.
"I want to apologise to Manchester United for that damage and
assure them that we will be doing all we can to track down those
responsible and ban them for life.
General view as bottles are thrown at the Manchester United team bus before the match - Reuters
"This morning I have already tasked my senior team to work with
the police to identify them as their behaviour belongs in the past and
not in a future that promises so much for our great Club.
"I truly hope that in due course we will look back on what
happened in the stadium rather than what happened outside and remember
our farewell to the Boleyn for all the right reasons."
That hope at least seems highly unlikely; this match will be
certain to go down in history as the day United's team bus was besieged.
Suillivan had initially blamed Manchester United for the delay
to the start of West Ham's final match at Upton Park after their coach
was attacked - and even suggested that there had been no attack, saying
that "if you check the coach there won't be any damage."
That frankly embarrassing statement was contradicted by the
clear evidence, including this photograph which shows at least one
window smashed.
The
bus carrying the Manchester United team is escorted by police after
having a window smashed on its way to West Ham's Boleyn ground before
the English Premier League football match between West Ham United and
Manchester United in in east London on May - AFP
Sullivan had complained that United should have been there at
4pm. Instead, by arriving late, the bus had to contend with huge crowds
of fans - many without tickets - who had congregated outside the stadium
for the sell-out game, West Ham's last before moving to the 60,000-seat
Olympic Stadium after 112 years at Upton Park.
United's team coach became bogged down within sight of the
stadium in Green Street where Hammers fans began pelting the windows
with bottles and glasses while a smoke canister was also set off adding
to the chaos.
Sullivan had said: “I think the police and officials have been
kind, I would make them kick off at 7.45 if it was up to me. Manchester
United know the score, they should have been here at four o'clock.
“They could have got here early. They knew it would be busy. It's crazy.
"I'm worried about the supporters. We had a wonderful show planned and some won't be able to stay now."
General view of a smoke bomb among police and fans before the match - Reuters
The Metropolitan Police confirmed that one officer and a member
of the public sustained minor injuries, but no arrests had been made.
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