PROVE YOU’RE A FAN

Hammers demand selfies in club strip to get ticket... but rivals just borrow shirt

PROOF Hammers badge

WEST Ham have made fans prove they are true supporters to watch a game – by telling them to send in selfies in the club’s strip.

Fans wanting to see the home clash with Liverpool this week had to pose in official merchandise to get in the ground.

The crackdown followed a surge in suspected Liverpool fans buying tickets in the home end, potentially leading to clashes with East London supporters.

The Hammers made phone calls and fired off emails to home end ticketbuyers for the rescheduled match, saying: “Please ring West Ham urgently.”

Fans were stunned to be asked to prove they were genuine by sending in a selfie with club memorabilia. But one Liverpool fan bragged: “I felt like laughing when I got the phone call.

“How was that going to stop away fans getting into the home end? I just borrowed a friend’s shirt. If they are really concerned about trouble, it doesn’t seem like a measure that would stop it.”

Another Twitter user said he overheard a Reds fan “laughing” that he sent in a selfie with a West Ham toy mascot.

A West Ham source said: “We had a duty to ensure that genuine home fans had access to tickets, and we had a duty to ensure safety in the stadium.”

League leaders Liverpool won 2-0 on Wednesday. No arrests were made.

TRIM Kerry Katona uses petal power at her mum’s surprise 60th party, arriving in a floor-length dress. Birthday girl Sue planted a smacker on the former Atomic Kitten singer, 39, outside The Istanbul Grill in Warrington, Cheshire. Purr-fect.