West Ham v Burnley: Footballers praised after crowd trouble
- Published
One mother, who was at the match with her son, said she was "terrified" after a fight broke out among West Ham supporters
Burnley players who sheltered a group of young fans during crowd trouble at West Ham's London stadium have been praised for their actions.
Some West Ham supporters invaded the pitch during Saturday's 3-0 defeat to Burnley, while disturbances also broke out in front of the directors' box.
Burnley players who spotted the trouble lifted some young fans clear and on to their bench as the game continued.
Parent Sharyn Elamir said she was "so grateful" for the players' help.
Since the disturbances a series of meetings have taken place, the BBC understands.
The gesture came to wide attention when it was praised by Gary Lineker, who shared an image - taken by Johnny Phillips of Sky Sports - of the boys on the Burnley bench.
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Ms Elamir, from Essex, was at the match with her seven-year-old son Zayn, her nine-year-old nephew Aston, and their friend William, aged eight.
She told the BBC they had been enjoying the Premier League game but that quickly changed when Burnley scored their second goal.
"A fight broke out among the West Ham supporters right behind us and more and more people kept joining in," said Ms Elamir.
"I was terrified and just wanted to get the boys out of the stadium. As I was pushing them towards the exit a Burnley player said 'Do you want me to put them in here?'"
Burnley players Phil Bardsley, Jeff Hendrick, Sam Vokes and Dean Marney gave up their seats for the boys for the remaining 20 minutes of the game.
"I was really shaken up but the boys were chatting away to the players and watching the game. They were unaware of the chaos going on around them," Ms Elamir added.
At the final whistle Phil Bardsley gave Zayn his shirt, Jeff Hendrick gave Aston his training jacket and William got Hendrick's football boots.
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"They were absolutely thrilled. They saw themselves on Match of The Day and have watched that about a hundred times!
"I'm so grateful to the Burnley players for taking control during such a frightening situation.
"It's been a lovely experience from what had been an awful day."
- Attribution
- Published10 March 2018
- Attribution
- Published10 March 2018
