A group of West Ham fans who were seen on video doing cocaine at the London Stadium have been banned
The video got more than 736,000 views on social media, and the club quickly condemned the behaviour and gave the police the names of the people who did it.
In the video, a group of boys at the London Stadium can be seen doing the act. In one scene, a white powder was put on a bald man’s head, and another fan sniffed the powder. The bald man laughed at the end. “Let’s f**king have it. Irons, Irons.”
West Ham fans allegedly seen sniffing cocaine in the London Stadium, video goes viral
Un aficionado del West Ham esnifa cocaína sobre la calva de otro aficionado en pleno partido. pic.twitter.com/TRfIA7sEj1
— Wall Street Wolverine (@wallstwolverine) March 10, 2023
West Ham has a zero-tolerance policy, so the season tickets of the people who broke the rules have been taken away. This means they can’t get into the stadium or go to away games with the team. Depending on what the club’s own investigation finds, the people who did this could be banned for life.
Drug use is a big concern in sports
Cocaine use is becoming a bigger problem at football stadiums, like the recent West Ham case. A recent report linked the drug to a 45% rise in violence at games over the past two years. Also police chiefs wanted to crack down on cocaine users by giving them harsher punishments and banning them to stop a return to violence like it was in the 1980s.
A video of a West Ham football fan has gone viral as he sniffs white powder off a bald man's head during a match at London Stadium. pic.twitter.com/7IHyZoHeRk
— West Ham Central (@WestHam_Central) March 9, 2023
Chief Constable Mark Roberts, Britain’s most famous football cop, said that more people were using the drug to cause violence and that it was making a toxic mix.
A survey showed that more than 30% of fans had seen people take cocaine at a stadium. Six percent said they used it for their own purposes. Even though clubs like West Ham said they would take stronger steps to stop people from bringing drugs into grounds, it is now said that it is happening more than ever before kick-off and during games.
Football clubs use dogs to find drug use at stadium
Another club said that they used dogs every time they played away and sometimes when they played at home. The drug problem at Tottenham was called a societal problem. The stadium had a “zero tolerance” policy when it came to drugs.
In 2017, a fan was caught on camera snorting a line of cocaine on the field. The club said it works closely with the Met Police on drug-related issues. It bans anyone who is caught with illegal drugs.
Brighton said it was “increasingly concerned” about cocaine use at games. The club also said, “We will continue to take all necessary and possible steps to prevent any illegal substance coming into our stadium, and we will continue to impose very severe sanctions on anyone found to be carrying or using any illegal substance in or around our stadium.”
Premier League takes a stand against drug use
The Premier League also said it was against drug use at stadiums. Also its clubs are working with the police to stop it. A spokesman said, “Having or using cocaine is a crime that can get you banned from playing football.” The ground rules make it clear that drugs are not allowed, and they often use things like detection dogs to stop it. In this case, our clubs continue to work closely with the police.”
The recent thing that happened at the London Stadium shows how dangerous drug use is and how important it is to stop it at football stadiums. The fact that West Ham banned the players quickly and decisively is a step in the right direction.
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