West Ham United are interested in bringing safe standing to the Olympic Stadium, according to the Mirror.
This comes following their 4-2 defeat at home to Walter Mazzarri’s Watford, who came from 2-0 down to take all three points against the Hammers. During the game, the ‘segregation line’ between the West Ham fans and the Watford support was breached, meaning stewards had to battle to keep the opposing fans apart; whilst West Ham fans were also fighting amongst themselves inside the stadium.
The Mirror describe the fighting between West Ham fans as a clash of culture between traditional fans and new fans of the Premier League era – with some wanting to sit and watch the Hammers, whilst others are keen on persistent standing during games.
At the moment, those who stand are breaking the rules, as all Premier League and Championship clubs must have all-seater stadiums following the enquiry into the Hillsborough disaster.
Furthermore, fans who stand throughout games obstruct the view of those who are sitting down – which is what causes arguments, disruption and fights.
Joint chairman of the club, David Gold, had this to say following the game against Watford:
Twitter: I want to assure everyone that the club is working flat out to solve the sitting/standing issue. dg https://t.co/UyXxxKyUH7 (@davidgold)
Safe standing would certainly improve the atmosphere at any Premier League game and a solution to the current problems at West Ham highlight that a solution must be found soon.
