The president of Fiorentina, Rocco Commisso, has used the term โanimalsโ to describe how he believes West Ham United treated his team during the Europa Conference League final on Wednesday, June 7, 2023.
On the said date, Fiorentina faced West Ham United in the final of the Europa Conference League which the Premier League club won 2-1.
Before, during, and after the final, there were reported conflicts between West Ham fans and the Italian club.
During the game, a projectile thrown from the side of the Stadium where West Ham fans were seated struck Fiorentinaโs captain Cristiano Biraghi in the face, causing him to bleed. Also, the clubโs forward, Luca Jovic was forced to leave the game at halftime after breaking his nose.
Fiorentinaโs captain Cristiano Biraghi being treated after a projectile hit him during Europa Conference League final on June 7.ย
After the two horrific incidents in the tense Europa Conference League final, Jarrod Bowen scored in the 90th minute to give West Ham their first major title in 43 years.
A day after the European final, Commisso addressed the press saying that he โexpected to win, but it wasnโt like thatโ.
He added, โBut there have been episodes on the pitch where the referee had to make the difference
โI spoke to the president of the Premier League, those of West Ham are animals in the way they treated ours. Itโs not right.
โThis match could be won 3-0. Iโm sorry for the fans, they deserved more.โ
Also, Fiorentina released a separate statement to condemn the attack on Cristiano Biraghi, saying that the playerโs performance was affected after the attack.
โThis unacceptable behaviour obviously affected the performance of the footballer and his team-mates, who had their attention drawn away from footballing matters by the threats to their safety,โ Fiorentina said.