On Tuesday, numerous supporters of West Ham United traveled to Prague for the Europa Conference League final against Fiorentina. They filled local bars and sang in the streets to celebrate in the historic city center.
The Prague police called in several hundred officers to monitor the event as they anticipated around 20,000 West Ham fans, many of whom did not have match tickets, to enjoy their team’s first European competition final in almost 50 years.
UEFA gave each club only 5,780 tickets, which means many fans won’t be able to go to the final match at Slavia Prague’s stadium, which has a capacity of 18,000.
Holly Turbutt, a West Ham supporter, was hoping for a ticket but has accepted that she will have to watch the match in one of the fan zones set up by the city for those who couldn’t 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 Fiorentina, who have not had much success in European competitions since their victories over half a century ago, are approaching their upcoming match as if it were a World Cup final.
However, it was difficult to find supporters of the Serie A team in Prague. Fiorentina won the first edition of the now-defunct Cup Winners’ Cup in 1961, but lost in the final the following season and in a two-legged UEFA Cup final against Juventus in 1990. West Ham’s only moment of continental glory was winning the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1965, and they have not come close to repeating that success since, except for their 1999 Intertoto Cup victory and last season’s Europa League semi-finals.
Despite the high cost of a match ticket and a roundabout journey via Germany, George Maddy could not resist the opportunity to watch West Ham in a cup final in Europe.
“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 pub owners are greeting the visitors warmly and anticipating large crowds who will consume plenty of the well-known Czech beer before and after the match.
Frank Haughton, who owns several Irish pubs in Prague, has increased security measures for the game, but has noted a positive and lively atmosphere among the fans who are enjoying the experience and some drinks.
“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 per cent alcohol and 5 per cent food.”
