WEST HAM FEAR PLAYING BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

WEST HAM fear having to play their next home game with Southampton behind closed doors because they can’t guarantee security arrangements at the London Stadium. At an emergency meeting of stakeholders called by West Ham following Saturday’s mayhem during the 3-0 home defeat by Burnley, the club will press to have security measures taken out of the hands of LS185, the company who operate the stadium on a day-to-day basis. LS185 are responsible for all stewarding and security and were appointed by E20, the body set up to manage the transformation of the olympic Stadium. This gives West Ham no control over their own security arrangements, meaning they cannot offer the necessary assurances that the match with Southampton on March 31 will pass without major incident. The Premier League fear the game could be abandoned in the event of public disorder, leading to talk of it being played behind closed doors. West Ham feel that while LS185 are in charge of security they can give no guarantees, given the volatile climate and the poor response to Saturday’s chaos. The Sports Ground Safety Authority (SGSA), the body responsible for stadium licensing and proposing safety measures, will also attend the emergency meeting. understands the SGSA will propose a reduction in the ground’s capacity for the next home games and reducing the number of fans in areas of the stadium where trouble broke out. This may include a section near the directors’ box where fans abused owners David Gold and David Sullivan. The latter was struck by a coin as fans hurled missiles. West Ham directors were appalled by the reaction to the trouble, with captain Mark Noble and Sportsmail Burnley’s Ashley Barnes forced to intervene against pitch invaders. West Ham wish to dismiss LS185 and become responsible for security arrangements, meaning they could offer the guarantees to allow the ground to stay open. Noble will not face disciplinary action after referee Lee Mason confirmed in his report that he saw the incident and chose a common-sense approach to allow Noble to stay on the field. But the Football Association are investigating the wider chaos.