West Ham fan arrested for Lino near miss
The young male fan had thrown a full open can of beer from the West Stand block 114 towards the linesman on 15 minutes after he ruled Marko Arnautovc’s header offside. The can landed on the pitch after narrowly missing the lino my inches. The linesman picked it up and removed it as TV cameras zoomed in.
West Ham security and stadium operator staff used high definition CCTV coverage to quickly identify the young fan in minutes and at halftime police swooped in to arrest the supporter.
The fan was kept in a police cell overnight and is thought to have been charged with drinking in view of the pitch and throwing a missile. He is likely to receive a three-year stadium ban from the club as well as facing a court appearance and possible football banning order.
The Met Police football unit tweeted. “It’s never a good Idea to throw a missile at the Lino when he gives a decision against your team as one West ham found out last night, he will be waking up in a police cell this morning instead of his own bed #unacceptable“
Followed by “Just as an update the Chap who spent the evening with us for throwing a missile has been charged with 2 offences and will be appearing at court in the near future”
The referee included the incident in his match report but praised the club for quick action in identifying and arresting the fan. The FA is likely to ask the club to write to them to explain the incident but it is hoped they should avoid further FA sanction or a fine for failing to control their fans.