The West Ham fan who bravely fought off violent Dutch ultras trying to attack players' wives and families last night said: “I’m no hero.”
Chris Knoll, 58, was widely praised for stepping in as violence broke out at the end of the match against AZ Alkmaar. And he revealed he is still recovering from a recent hip replacement operation. But his actions prevented dozens of balaclava clad Dutch fans from attacking the West Ham WAGS. Players were so concerned by the violent scenes they stopped celebrating their dramatic win and rushed to help. Knoll, an electrician, said: “I don’t like bullies.
“You could see they were intent on causing trouble and I did not want them to get to those behind us. I saw them all congregate on the side of the pitch and then they broke down the barriers and headed to the first group of West Ham fans.
“I know what they were intent on doing and was not going to let it happen. It was fairly obvious what was going to happen because they were intent on coming to us. They were the ultras, you could see that from what they were wearing. I just decided I wasn't going to let them come up.
“I just thought the best form of defence would be to get to the top of the stairs where they were coming up and just stood there and tried to stop them. I know they were swinging punches and I just did my best to stand there and take it.”
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Last night West Ham and France goalkeeper Alphonse Areola called Knoll a 'legend' while his wife Marrion added he was the night's 'biggest hero'. Manager David Moyes said his 87-year-old dad was near the trouble.
Chris said he saw off four of the thugs but two landed several blows on his face. His left eye is still badly bruised and red scrape marks are visible on the side of his face. He said: “If you've seen the pictures, there's about five or six guys in front of me and I'm sort of trying to fend them off.
“Somehow, I don't know how, two got behind me, right. And as I'm dealing with the other guys, there's one guy who's just constantly bagging me in the side of the head. That's what caused the bruised eye. It's not too bad, but I might go to hospital to get it checked out.”
Last night Chris was back with his wife Karen at their home in West London. He said she was not surprised that he had stood up to protect women and children. He said: “She knows what I am like, and I don't like bullies. My kids are the same, they will always stand up and be counted. Apart from what happened at the end it was a fantastic night, and so pleased we are in the final.”
Chris said he has not been able to get tickets for the final in Prague next month. He said: “If I can get a ticket and a couple for the two who were with me in Amsterdam I will be there to cheer on the Hammers. I'd love to be at the final. Hopefully it will be trouble free and we can just enjoy a fantastic match."
Fans have called him “Knollsy the Lionheart” and “Sir Knollsy." One eye-witness said: “A bit of context: we were sitting behind Thilo Kerher’s girlfriend. Knollsy was worried about her and walked to the top of the stairwell, fending off the storming Alkmaar fans. He’s a lovely bloke and did what he felt was right at the time. He stopped those fans.”
West Ham stars Michail Antonio and Flynn Downes leapt over the hoardings closely followed by team-mates Lucas Paqueta and Said Benrahma to try and rescue their loved ones. London-born Alkmaar boss Pascal Jansen admitted he was “ashamed” of the ugly scenes.
