Fiorentina captain left bleeding from head by objects thrown by West Ham fans during final
Fiorentina captain Cristiano Biraghi was hit in the head by objects thrown from the stands by West Ham supporters during the first half of the Europa Conference League final on Wednesday, leaving him bleeding from a gash in his scalp.
The game was briefly held up after Biraghi was struck by empty beer cups and other objects as he was about to take a corner. He needed to have his head bandaged to stop the bleeding, while a stadium announcer urged supporters to stop throwing objects.
Some West Ham players also went over to urge their fans to stop, before play resumed.
(Photo by Thomas Eisenhuth - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
Ahead of the game, Fiorentina fans attacked West Ham supporters in a bar in downtown Prague, Czech police said on Wednesday.
Three West Ham fans and one police officers were injured in the incident while 16 people were detained, police said.
An investigation was ongoing and no more details were immediately provided.
Thousands of West Ham and Fiorentina fans arrived in Prague for the final of the third-tier European competition at Slavia Prague’s Eden Arena. Organizers prepared two separate fan zones for the fans of both clubs who don’t have tickets for the match.
Both clubs were aiming to end long European trophy droughts. West Ham ended up winning, 2-1.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
