THE HERO HAMMERS
Fan who fought off thugs plays down bravery
THE West Ham supporter who fought off Dutch thugs trying to attack the players’ families insisted last night: “I’m no hero.”
Chris Knoll, 58, was praised for stepping in after violence broke out at the end of the match against AZ Alkmaar on Thursday.
His bravery – while recovering from a hip operation, he revealed – prevented dozens of balaclavaclad Dutch ultra fans from attacking the West Ham WAGS.
Mr Knoll, an electrician, said: “You could see they were intent on causing trouble and I did not want them to get to those behind us. I saw them all congregate on the side of the pitch, then they broke down the barriers and headed to the West Ham fans.
“They were the ultras… you could see that from what they were wearing. I decided I wasn’t going to let them come up.”
West Ham players Michail Antonio, Flynn Downes, Lucas Paqueta and Said Benrahma leapt over the hoardings in a bid to help protect their loved ones.
Chris said he saw off four thugs, though two landed blows on his face. His left eye is badly bruised and his face is scraped. Chris said: “They were swinging punches. I just did my best to stand there and take it.
“I thought the best form of defence would be to get to the top of the stairs where they were coming up.
“Somehow, two got behind me. And as I’m dealing with the other guys, there’s one guy who’s just constantly bagging me in the side of the head. That’s what caused the bruised eye.
“It’s not too bad, but I might go to hospital to get it checked out.” Last night Chris was back at home in West London with his wife Karen.
He added of the Europa Conference League semi-final, which resulted in a 1-0 victory for manager David Moyes’ team: “Apart from what happened at the end, it was a fantastic night.”
London-born Alkmaar boss Pascal Jansen said he was ashamed of the incident.
In a statement, the club said: “What happened is beyond all bounds. The club again sincerely apologises to West Ham United and the thousands of wellminded AZ supporters.”