UEFA has clarified plans for West Ham United’s Europa League game away at Greek side Olympiacos amid fan ban fears.
West Ham will soon embark on a new European adventure following the Europa League group stage draw on Friday.
Sporting director Mark Noble was in attendance in Monaco as West Ham were the first name drawn for Group A.
The Hammers will face Greek side Olympiacos, Germans Freiburg and Serbia’s FK TSC Backa Topola.
It’s a tough group on paper. But with three bites at last 16 European football, West Ham should feel confident given their recent pedigree on the continent.
David Moyes’ side will welcome Serbian minnows FK TSC Backa Topola to the London Stadium in the first fixture of their Europa League campaign on September 21st.
A trip to face Freiburg is next up on October 5th. And remember Hammers supporters are banned from travelling to Germany for that game.
But there were also concerns that West Ham fans would not be able to travel to Athens for the next game on October 26th either.
Because there has been intense speculation that the authorities in Greece are considering banning away supporters at European matches in the city following the recent tragic death of an AEK Athens fans in clashes with Dinamo Zagreb.
Travelling West Ham fans also clashed with the Croatian club’s supporters on their own trip to Zagreb in the Europa League two seasons ago.
As reported by the likes of Bloomberg, Greek authorities have been shutting down fan clubs and clamping down on policing around football matches in the wake of the incident while they consider what to do next.
As pictured above, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, Olympiacos (and Nottingham Forest) owner Evangelos Marinakis, Giannis Alafouzos, president of the soccer club Panathinaikos and Dimitris Melissanidis, owner of the soccer club AEK met with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (C) at the Maximos Mansion, in Athens, for talks following the death of Greek football fan Michalis Katsouris, 29, who was stabbed in a mass brawl which erupted on the streets of the capital before the Champions League qualifier between Dinamo Zagreb and AEK Athens.
West Ham fans will recall a Dutch mayor took strict action by banning any AZ Alkmaar fans from attending or even travelling to his city for a league game following the attack on Hammers supporters during last season’s Europa Conference League semi-final.
With Olympiacos’ fiercest rivals Panathinaikos also playing at home in the Europa League against Villarreal on the same day they entertain West Ham, there has been talk the game could – at the very least – be moved. That’s if away fans are even allowed to attend at all by the authorities.
With West Ham fans looking to make travel and accommodation arrangements the uncertainty is far from ideal.
So Hammers News has reached out to European football’s governing body for some clarity on the matter.
Now UEFA has clarified plans for the West Ham Europa League game at Olympiacos amid fan ban fears.
Hammers News has spoken to UEFA’s media and public relations team based in Nyon for clarification.
And it is good news for West Ham supporters hoping to attend. Because as things stand the game will go ahead on that date as planned with them in attendance.
“The match is planned to go ahead as scheduled with the attendance of visiting supporters,” UEFA has confirmed to Hammers News.
Olympiacos look like being West Ham’s toughest test judging by their results this season.
So it is great news that Hammers fans can attend to support the team in their intimidating 33.3k capacity Karaiskaki Stadium.
READ ALSO
Kretinsky suffers fatal blow to hopes of £2.2bn deal in his bid to conquer Europe.
West Ham star names who he thinks should be captain as Moyes holds off.
Moyes makes his position on Lingard crystal clear amid fitness concern claims.
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox
