West Ham finished atop a table for the second straight year, but this one may not be worth celebrating.
In figures released by the UK government on Thursday, West Ham supporters finished with 89 arrests for the 2022-23 season — the most across the UK’s top five divisions.
It is, in fact, the second consecutive year that Hammers fans finished in first place, with this year’s number actually an improvement over last year’s total of 95 arrests.
Of the 89 West Ham arrests last season, 27 were for public order offenses, while 23 came for throwing missiles. Additionally, the majority (69 percent) came during home matches.
Manchester United came in second place with 83 arrests, while Leeds was third with 69. Leeds also had the biggest year-over-year increase in arrests (+25).
On the bright side, the arrest rate for fans attending matches is still exceedingly small. With a total of 2,264 of arrests last season, the rate is only 5.0 arrests per 100,000 attendees.
And then there was this fact: “There were no arrests reported in relation to women’s regulated football matches.”
Arrests by club, 2022-23 season
- West Ham United 89
- Manchester United 83
- Leeds United 69
- Manchester City 66
- Arsenal 51
- Tottenham Hotspur 51
- Burnley 50
- Leicester City 49
- Everton 48
- Birmingham City 47
[lawrence-related id=29340,28172,24654]