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A senior politician has called for West Ham United to face a stadium ban if there is any repeat of the violence that marred Wednesday's 2-1 EFL Cup victory over Chelsea at the London Stadium. Conservative party MP Mark Field, vice-chairman of the all-party parliamentary football group, told the London Evening Standard: "If there is a repeat of the violence, the next two or three home games for West Ham should be played behind closed doors." Police made six arrests after skirmishes broke out toward the end of the first London derby at the 60,000-capacity ground. Three of the six arrested have been charged, the Metropolitan Police said, while up to 200 people are facing banning orders. Police and stewards battled to maintain segregation behind the goal being defended by West Ham as coins, seats and other objects appeared to be thrown between rival supporters. The Hammers and Chelsea condemned the unsavoury scenes, which are now under investigation by the Football Association, and swift and decisive action is being taken after the CCTV footage was pored over on Thursday. Three fans were also arrested after West Ham's 1-1 draw at home to Middlesbrough. Field said: "Within the next 14 days, the board of West Ham United FC should present a detailed plan to the FA and Premier League outlining what they are going to do about security. "None of these problems were unforeseeable given the nature of the stadium and difficulties with policing large footballing crowds. "There have been some clear failings and they now need to move with urgency to deliver a plan about segregation and broader public order issues. "If there is a repeat of the violence, the next two or three home games for West Ham should be played behind closed doors." West Ham vice-chairman Karren Brady said in her column for the Sun newspaper that the Hammers' prematch planning was meticulous but they were undone by "completely unacceptable behaviour." "Ahead of the game, as a club, we did everything in our power to restrict and minimise potential problems," she wrote. "We worked tirelessly day and night with the safety and security teams at London Stadium and the Metropolitan Police Service to ensure that every potential risk was assessed and prepared for. "Without question, we could have sold out the stadium twice over but the safety of our supporters is always our primary concern. "And as a result we made the correct decision to impose strong restrictions on tickets, which were limited to supporters with a level of recorded purchase history - who could only access one ticket each. "Other avoidance measures, such as the restriction of alcohol sales around the stadium, were taken. "While the line of segregation between both sets of supporters was never actually broken -- and supporters never made contact with one another -- the baying behaviour that we witnessed is completely unacceptable to everyone at West Ham United and Chelsea Football Club and we will be taking the most severe action possible against individuals involved." Information from the Press Association was used in this report.
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