Met respond to Leeds United fan being felled by officer and second incident at West Ham United

The Met Police have referred an incident involving a Leeds United supporter at West Ham United to their Directorate of Professional Standards.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Video emerged after the Whites' Premier League game at the London Stadium, showing a young visiting fan being led towards the concourse by officers before a second Leeds supporter appeared to try and intervene. An officer knocked the second supporter to the floor and he hit his head against a metal fence.

The officer's actions angered Whites fans in the ground and on social media, with one contacting the YEP to say: "It was absolutely outrageous. Don’t get me wrong a lot of fans were trying to get to the lower [section] but it was bang out of order."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The Met have issued a response to the footage, telling the YEP that while the incident has been referred to the body that investigates complaints against the professional conduct of officers, no misconduct has been identified at this time.

"There was a disturbance in the crowd and officers were deployed," said a spokesperson.

"As a man was led away by an officer, another person attempted to intervene. The officer pushed the man away, causing him to fall to the floor. He was restrained by other police officers. The matter has been referred to the Met's Directorate of Professional Standards. At this time no misconduct has been identified."

Leeds United supporters also reported an issue at half-time when a bottleneck appeared to be created as they attempted to retake their seats for the second half.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The Met say the collapse of a steward and the need to escort Leeds fans back to the upper tier of the away end, after attempts to take seats in the lower tier for which they did not have tickets, caused the delay in supporters re-entering the stadium bowl.

INCIDENT REFERRED - The Met Police referred an incident involving one of their officers and a Leeds United fan to the Directorate of Professional Standards. Pic: GettyINCIDENT REFERRED - The Met Police referred an incident involving one of their officers and a Leeds United fan to the Directorate of Professional Standards. Pic: Getty
INCIDENT REFERRED - The Met Police referred an incident involving one of their officers and a Leeds United fan to the Directorate of Professional Standards. Pic: Getty

A spokesperson said: "Several fans who had tickets for the upper tier were attempting to get into lower tier for the second half. These fans were instructed to return to their seats in the upper tier following a ticket check post half-time.

"Following the collapse of a steward who then required medical attention, the fans returning to the upper tier had to be diverted through a different route, some of whom displayed ant-social behaviour by pushing their way through.

"Police officers responded proportionately to the situation to assist stewards and maintain public safety."

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.