West Ham fans handed stadium ban after trouble at Europa Conference League final

 Europa Conference League champions West Ham United will face a supporter ban in their next European fixture after hitting a Fiorentina player with objects in last season's final

Europa Conference League champions West Ham United will face a supporter ban in Europe after Fiorentina's Cristiano Biraghi was hit by objects from the stands in last season's final.

The Hammers chiselled out a hard-fought 2-1 win over La Viola to taste their first piece of major European silverware in almost 60 years. Jarrod Bowen struck in the dying minutes of normal time to overcome the Italian threat, guaranteeing a place in next term's Europa League.

Their triumph was tainted, however, when Biraghi was left leaking blood when he was struck by an object while attempting to take a corner. The Italy international required a hefty amount of bandaging around his head as a result, and Fiorentina later condemned West Ham supporters for their actions in Prague and said the incident 'obviously affected the performance' of Biraghi and his team-mates.

David Moyes' men will once again feature in Europe's second-tier competition after reaching its semi-finals in 2022, where they lost 3-1 on aggregate to Eintracht Frankfurt.

UEFA's suspension will prevent West Ham fans from attending the club's first two away trips in Europe next term. However, the second of those has been suspended for two years.

The east Londoners have also been hit with €58,000 worth of fines for their fans' actions in the Czech Republic. West Ham will pay €50,000 (£43,000) for the missiles thrown onto the pitch, and another €8,000 (£7,000) for invading the field at full time.

As well as peppering Biraghi with objects, Fiorentina forward Nicolas Gonzalez was also hit by cups after hitting the turf at the Fortuna Arena. West Ham 'unreservedly condemned' the actions committed by 'a small minority' of their fans, though that acknowledgement hasn't been sufficient to avoid further punishment.

While the club's supporters will miss the first away trip of their Europa League return, some fans are also facing bans at home if they're identified as one of those throwing objects in Prague.

"These actions have no place in football and do not in any way represent the values of our football club and the overwhelming majority of our supporters, who have behaved impeccably in Prague this week and throughout our last two seasons in European competition," the club said in a statement earlier in June.

"In line with our zero-tolerance approach, anyone identified will have their details passed to the police and will be given an indefinite ban and therefore be unable to enter London Stadium and travel with the club."