By Michael Kahn
PRAGUE (Reuters) – Thousands of West Ham United fans descended on Prague on Tuesday ahead of the Europa Conference League final against Fiorentina, filling local pubs and singing in the streets as they celebrated throughout the historic city centre.
Prague police called in several hundred officers to patrol the event as they braced for an estimated 20,000 West Ham supporters – many without match tickets – to revel in their team’s first European competition final in nearly half a century.
UEFA allotted only 5,780 tickets to each club, leaving legions of supporters unable to attend the match at Slavia Prague’s stadium with a capacity set at 18,000 for the final.
West Ham supporter Holly Turbutt hoped for a “miracle” to land a ticket but said she has resigned herself to watching the match in one of the fan zones the city has erected for those unable to get into the stadium.
“Obviously, we would have liked it to have been in a bigger stadium where loads of people could have been there because it is such a special event,” she said. “But we’re going to make the most of it. Enjoy that fan zone and soak in every moment.”
Both West Ham and Italy’s Fiorentina – whose solitary European successes came over half a century ago – are treating Wednesday’s showdown like a World Cup final, though it was difficult spotting supporters of the Serie A side in Prague.
Fiorentina, who lost to Real Madrid in the second European Cup final in 1957, won the first edition of the now-defunct Cup Winners’ Cup in 1961. They lost in the final the next season and lost to Juventus in a two-legged UEFA Cup final in 1990.
West Ham won the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1965 for their only moment of continental glory. They lost in the 1976 final and the closest they have come since, excluding their 1999 Intertoto Cup victory, was last season’s Europa League semi-finals.
For George Maddy, watching West Ham in a cup final in Europe was too good an opportunity to pass up even if it meant a roundabout journey to arrive via Germany and shelling out 1,400 pounds ($1,738) for a match ticket.
“So, I know it’s a lot of money but for me the opportunity is worth it, really, because as I say, this is certainly once in a generation and for some people it’s once in a lifetime, really,” Maddy said outside a pub in the centre.
The visitors have received a warm welcome from pub owners who expect capacity crowds drinking copious amounts of famous Czech beer in the run-up to the match and well beyond the final whistle.
Frank Haughton, an owner of a number of Irish pubs in Prague, has boosted security for the match but so far described a cheerful atmosphere filled with fans happy to soak up the experience and a few beverages.
“When football comes sometimes you get a little bit nervous about what kind of supporter you’re going to get… but these guys started arriving yesterday and I must say so far they’re a very nice crew,” Haughton said.
“These guys mainly drink beer,” he added. “We expect our sales to be 95 percent alcohol and 5 percent food.”
($1 = 0.8057 pounds)
(Additional reporting by Robert Mueller, Editing by Christian Radnedge)
