West Ham fan saves The Day
A fearless West Ham fan who protected the families of players from Dutch hooligans has described how he took on the horde of violent thugs because he “won’t tolerate bullies”.
Chris Knoll, 58 and recovering from hip surgery, was hailed a “legend” by fans after leading the defence against marauding AZ Alkmaar ultras following Thursday night’s Europa Conference League semi-final victory.
However, the terrace regular, known by fellow supporters as "Knollsy" and now the "Angel of Alkmaar", was modest about his efforts on Friday as he recalled the dramatic scenes.
"I'm not a hero," said Knoll, a father-of-four from Hampton, Middlesex. “It was just a gut reaction, I went for it," he told Telegraph Sport. "I knew you had to do something because if you don’t try and defend yourself we would have been on the wrong side of quite a nasty beating, I just defended it as best as I could do."
The West Ham fans, including the friends and families of players, had come under attack following the final whistle of their 1-0 victory at the AFAS Stadion in Alkmaar.
A group of black-shirted AZ ultras had torn down a gate within the stadium before charging towards the small section of West Ham supporters seated behind the dugouts at the 20,000-seater arena. Chris saved the day by fighting off the hooligans. The black-shirted AZ supporters will be prosecuted based on CCTV footage.