West Ham have issued a brief statement in response to Sadiq Khan's comments regarding the "hooligans" and "mindless thugs" present amongst West Ham's fan base.
Mayor Khan was heavily criticised by West Ham supporters after accepting the findings of the Safety Advisory Group's report into the incidents at the Burnley match - a version of events that have since been derided by supporters present at the match.Embed from Getty Images
"I understand that many West Ham fans have concerns about the club and the way it's run but the scenes at the London Stadium were a disgrace and mindless hooliganism," Khan said last week.
"The Safety Advisory Group recognised the stewarding was stretched significantly thanks to the volume of incidents that showed a planned and co-ordinated campaign."
To which the club replied: "West Ham United welcome the Mayor of London’s support for our condemnation of the violent episodes at our game against Burnley. So far the club has banned 20 spectators at that game for life and the individuals have been reported to police.
"The West Ham stewards the mayor referred to are employed by our landlords E20 and not by us. A full independent investigation has been launched which will reveal the truth about what happened on that day. We do not feel it helpful to speculate without all the facts.
"The Safety Advisory Group has reported a reduction in the number of stewards - in particular those responsible for reacting to pitch incursions - for that game and we need to urgently understand why that occurred.
"We would like to emphasise the majority of our supporters are peace loving and behave impeccably."
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