West Ham to issue life ban for United bus attackers

West Ham United are set to issue life bans to fans who are found responsible for attacking a Manchester United team bus.

West Ham defeated Manchester United 3-2 in their English Premier League (EPL) game on Tuesday, but before the contest some of the home fans attacked the rival team bus. A window of the bus was smashed and the kick-off was delayed by 45 minutes as a result of the trouble.

"It was an extraordinary night full of extraordinary moments in front of extraordinary fans ... 99 percent of whom behaved impeccably and were a credit to the club," a statement on the West Ham website read.

"However, we are aware that there were some supporters outside the Boleyn Ground who didn't act in an appropriate way when the Manchester United team bus was damaged. That was not acceptable and we will work with the police to identify those responsible and ban them for life," the statement added.

The attack was not limited to the bus. Bottles were also hurled at United goalkeeper David De Gea during the game.

--IANS

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