sport news West Ham fans revel in day of deliriousness in Prague despite violence from ... trends now
In the city where the good people of Prague consume more beer per capita than anywhere else in the world, where you can bathe in beer at Spa Beerland, where Europe's largest nightclub Karlovy Lazne charges less for beer than water, there were no prizes for guessing how West Ham's fans planned to ease their nerves ahead of the evening's European final.
Their plan was to get positively sozzled as the sunshine wrestled with the rain in the Czech capital. There was not a pocket of Prague unoccupied by West Ham, though you only needed to follow the sound of 'Irons, Irons, Irons' to know that it was the Old Town Square where most of the 20,000 visitors descended upon for a party.
Wading through a sea of scrunched tinnies, empty Jack Daniel's bottles and discarded takeaway boxes, you soon realised the claret of West Ham outnumbered the purple of Fiorentina ten to one in this hub of hysteria underneath the Marian Column of Prague.
Former forward Tony Cottee was among those soaking up the atmosphere, spotted beside Chris 'Knollsy' Knoll, the 58-year-old who protected the friends and family of the players when they were attacked by AZ Alkmaar ultras, his black eye having now faded. Choking up, he said: 'I'm an emotional guy. I wear my heart on my sleeve. I love my family, I love my kids, I love West Ham, I love my mates. It means the world to me to be here. I hope there's no trouble, because I might have to do it all again!'
The only 'trouble' which Mail Sport found was when, unprovoked, a bar of West Ham fans was attacked on Rytirska Street by thugs believed to be supporters of Fiorentina. Czech police say they made 16 arrests as a result.
Around 20,000 West Ham supporters partied in Prague ahead of the Conference League final
The claret of the Hammers outnumbered Fiorentina 10 to 1 as they soaked up the atmosphere
However, the pre-match mood was marred after police officers detained Fiorentina fans (pictured: officers stand near suspects after black-clad thugs attacked West Ham fans)
It was a day of celebration and supporters debated whether to spend over £1,000 on a ticket
Other than that, it was a day of celebration. There were topless Brits with tattoos of crossed irons on their chests, some of them telling Mail Sport they were debating whether to spend the £1,200 asking price for a second-hand ticket.
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