David Moyes’ dad, 87, ambushed by hooligans as West Ham stars fight back

West Ham United manager David Moyes revealed that his elderly father was among those affected by the post-match hooligan violence that marred Thursday night’s victory over AZ Alkmaar, a result which saw the Hammers into this year’s Europa Conference League final. A group of black-shirted Alkmaar fans were seen running towards the away section just moments after the final whistle in order to attack visiting supporters, with several West Ham players racing to the scene in an attempt to protect their families and others around them.

The likes of Flynn Downes, Said Benrahma and Aaron Cresswell all jumped over the barrier to try and calm things down as the violent scenes continued to unfold in the stands, with Moyes going on to admit in his post-match press conference that his 87-year-old father, David senior, was among those affected.

When asked if his dad or any other members of his family were located in the area of the stadium targeted by the hooligans, Moyes said: “Yes, but you hope they will to get themselves away from it. I was on the pitch at the end and security wanted to take me inside but I wanted to make sure the players didn’t get too involved.

‌”We’ll need to wait for the dust to settle but a lot of the players were getting angry because they couldn’t see if their families were OK. We will have to wait and ask the officials what really happened.

“To get to a European final, after going so close last year, is a fantastic achievement but maybe we shouldn’t be too surprised because we’ve won 13 and drawn one of our games in Europe. I spoke to the players about the disappointment we all felt in Frankfurt last year, and how we didn’t want to feel that way again after a semi-final.”

Hammers goalkeeper Alphonse Areola went on to explain that some of his team-mates felt compelled to intervene in the post-match violence as they were concerned about the safety of their families, who were at risk of being hurt by the scores of Alkmaar fans rushing into the away end after the final whistle.

“We were a bit worried about them, you know? Security is the most important thing in a stadiums specially in this kind of event and we were worried about our families,” said Areola. “When families or fans are coming to the stadium we don’t want to see things like that. They want to enjoy the event and we want to enjoy it with them as well. We were worried about them.”

Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether West Ham will be able to follow up their semi-final victory over Alkmaar by winning the Europa Conference League when they face Fiorentina in next month’s final at the Eden Arena in Prague. The fixture will mark West Ham’s first European final since 1976, while it will also see Moyes involved in only the second major final of his 24-year managerial career as the Irons look to make history against their Italian opponents in the Czech Republic.

MORE TO FOLLOW

We’ll be bringing you the very latest updates, pictures, and video on this breaking news story.

For the latest news and breaking news visit: /sport

Stay up to date with all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion, and video on the stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter @DExpress_Sport – the official Daily Express & Express.co.uk Twitter account – providing real news in real-time.

We’re also on Facebook @DailyExpressSport – offering your must-see news, features, videos, and pictures throughout the day to like, comment, and share from the Daily Express, Sunday Express, and Express.co.uk.