Declan Rice and three West Ham stars face UEFA ban for protecting families from hooligans

The West Ham players who jumped into the crowd to protect their families from aggressive AZ Alkmaar fans face a potential UEFA ban for their actions.

UEFA have made no comment on the incident yet, suggesting they may wait until after the Europa Conference League final on June 7 to issue any punishment.

The players in question; Declan Rice, Said Benrahma, Flynn Downes and Michail Antonio could all face bans from UEFA competitions unless they are able to prove that they intervened in exceptional circumstances, according to The Telegraph.

The general consensus is that the players were left with no choice as AZ Alkmaar 'ultras' approached the section where the players' families and friends were seated following the London side's victory on Thursday night.

Security is down to the host club, and Alkmaar look likely to receive orders to play behind closed doors due to their failure at keeping the families and friends of the West Ham players safe.