West Ham United's Upton Park Raided By Fans For Souvenirs As Boleyn Ground Closes After 112 Years

Fans were pictured trying to get hoardings onto the Tube.

West Ham fans celebrated late into the night on Tuesday as they marked the closure of their East London Boleyn Ground, with many deciding to take a piece of the stadium home with them.

Revellers took seats, signs and hoardings with them from the Hammers' final match at Upton Park - a 3-2 victory over Manchester United - marking an end to the club's 112-year spell at the stadium.

Fans were pictured removing relics, clad in Hammers scarves and shirts, with some even trying to get hoardings onto the Tube.

FameFlynet.uk.com
Fans streamed out of Upton Park for the very last time on Tuesday.
FameFlynet.uk.com
A young supporter posed proudly with his memorabilia.
FameFlynet.uk.com
Others were seen holding looted stadium seats.
Reuters Staff / Reuters
Hundreds of seats were taken from the stadium by fans.
Adam Gray SWNS.com
Many posed proudly with their relics.
Adam Gray SWNS.com
Some fans stayed behind after the game to try their luck.
Adam Gray SWNS.com
They forced the plastic seats from their holdings in the stands. And there was one particularly impressive endeavour:

Riot police were on standby after Manchester United's team's bus was pelted with missiles as it arrived for the game, which kicked off 45 minutes late as a result of the fan trouble.

Police lined the streets, some on horseback, as fans clambered up walls to celebrate their final night at the East London stadium.

Bottles and other items were thrown at the bus and pieces were seen falling from the tinted windows.

The Football Association said it "strongly condemns the unsavoury incidents" outside the ground, as well as the throwing of objects from a section of the home support during the game.

In a post on Twitter the FA added: "We will work closely with both clubs and the Metropolitan Police to fully investigate these matters."

Yui Mok/PA Wire
Riot police and those on horseback tried to keep fans safe.
FameFlynet.uk.com
Many revellers lined a wall near the ground, as police looked on.

A number of United players, wearing their team suits, are seen - in footage posted online - filming events outside the window as others lie in the aisle while thuds are heard and objects are seen being thrown at the windows.

Among those appearing to have taken to the aisle for refuge are England internationals Carrick and Phil Jones, as well as Belgian player Adnan Januzaj, while Cameron Borthwick-Jackson is seen sitting by the window with his phone.

Many of the players are heard shouting, with one exclaiming "mummy, mummy" in an apparently mocking tone, while Jesse Lingard turns the phone towards himself and puts his hand in front of his mouth, appearing to feign shock.

West Ham's co-owner David Sullivan apologised to the United team, and vowed to ban those who caused damage to the bus from the club for life. He said:

"When I was asked about the incident prior to yesterday's game, I was unaware of the damage that had occurred to the Manchester United team bus.

I want to apologise to Manchester United for that damage and assure them that we will be doing all we can to track down those responsible and ban them for life."

Close

What's Hot