Fiorentina President Says West Ham Treated His Team Like “Animals” In ECL Final

The president of Fiorentina, Rocco Commisso, has used the term “animals” to describe how he believes West Ham United treated his team during the Europa Conference League final on Wednesday, June 7, 2023.

On the said date, Fiorentina faced West Ham United in the final of the Europa Conference League which the Premier League club won 2-1.

Before, during, and after the final, there were reported conflicts between West Ham fans and the Italian club.

During the game, a projectile thrown from the side of the Stadium where West Ham fans were seated struck Fiorentina’s captain Cristiano Biraghi in the face, causing him to bleed. Also, the club’s forward, Luca Jovic was forced to leave the game at halftime after breaking his nose.

Fiorentina’s captain Cristiano Biraghi being treated after a projectile hit him during Europa Conference League final on June 7. 

After the two horrific incidents in the tense Europa Conference League final, Jarrod Bowen scored in the 90th minute to give West Ham their first major title in 43 years.

A day after the European final, Commisso addressed the press saying that he “expected to win, but it wasn’t like that”.

He added, “But there have been episodes on the pitch where the referee had to make the difference

“I spoke to the president of the Premier League, those of West Ham are animals in the way they treated ours. It’s not right.

“This match could be won 3-0. I’m sorry for the fans, they deserved more.”

Also, Fiorentina released a separate statement to condemn the attack on Cristiano Biraghi, saying that the player’s performance was affected after the attack.

“This unacceptable behaviour obviously affected the performance of the footballer and his team-mates, who had their attention drawn away from footballing matters by the threats to their safety,” Fiorentina said.