West Ham fan taken to hospital after violence before Europa tie in Frankfurt

A group of West Ham United fans were attacked and one was taken to hospital with slight injuries on Wednesday before Thursday’s Europa League semi-final second leg against Eintracht Frankfurt, German police said.

Police said in a statement that two vans stopped outside a pub where West Ham fans had gathered in the early hours of Wednesday.

A group of 15-20 people, who witnesses said were Eintracht supporters based on their face coverings, got out of the vans, entered the pub and attacked the group of British fans, injuring one of them slightly, police added. They then got back into the vehicles and left the scene. Police said they were unable to locate the vans, with one of them having a local number plate.

“The injured guest, a 34-year-old man from Britain, was taken to hospital for medical treatment,” Frankfurt police said in a statement.

Tensions are high after Eintracht won the first leg in England 2-1, with both teams trying to reach their first European final in more than 40 years.

The German reporters Philipp Hofmeister and Tim Brockmeier, who work for the regional broadcaster Hessischer Rundfunk, said they were attacked by West Ham supporters inside the London Stadium during the first leg.