West Ham is finally getting tough on away fans who try to buy tickets in the home sections of the London Stadium.
Supporters with no prior history of buying West Ham home tickets have been challenged to prove they are genuine Hammers fans.
An email was sent to new ticket holders explaining that the ticket office is carrying out ticket checks to ensure away supporters do not purchase tickets in the West Ham home end. As reported in today’s Mirror.co.uk:
“West Ham list extraordinary demands to clamp down on Arsenal’s potential title party
Arsenal fans could see their team clinch a first league title since 2004 away at West Ham – and the Hammers are trying to ensure there are no away supporters in the home end”
The e mail sent out suggests they must provide a photo showing themselves at a party, event or fixture showing West Ham merchandise before January 2026.
While it is good that the club are trying to tackle the problem of London clubs’ fans buying tickets in home ends, many supporters have pointed out that it would be too easy to cheat the system with modern AI technology.
To illustrate this point, we found a random photo of Arsenal supporters on the Internet and created an image using AI in 30 seconds, putting them in West Ham clothing.
Pointless PC rubbish. Let anyone buy tickets and enjoy the game as best they can.
“Pointless PC rubbish” What?!? How’s it “PC”?
And, you’re happy to have thousands of Gooners in the “home” end? 🙄
It would seem that the West Ham board couldn’t organise a p*ss up in a brewery!
April fools day ? Can’t be for real , what a well run football club 🤡🤪🤡
Let them in and kick them out. Having said that, they are always ManU and Liverpool fans in the home ends for those fixtures.
This entire fiasco began with the botched ST migration from the Boleyn ground to LS.
If memory serves me correct, the club outsourced the allocating and administrative contract to those responsible for the Highbury to Emirates stadium migration. No wonder tens of thousands of original casual match day attending Hammers fans found it virtually impossible to purchase tickets in the first few seasons at LS.
Far too many ST seats were aquired by touts and non supporting Hammers, but would rock up at the ground for a category A/B fixture a handful of times per season.
The total lack of foresight into so many aspects of how to run a fans- based match going experience has been evident for all to see.
Consistently voted worst matchday experience by nuetrals.
All these checks and balances should have been implemented at the outset, with designated zones within the stadium to house like-minded supporters together.
Vocals, families, easier access entrances for seniors and juniors, etc.