West Ham ban something strange for London derby against Tottenham Hotspur

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West Ham United have announced a strange rule for fans attending the London Stadium for the derby against Tottenham Hotspur.

The atmosphere for Saturday’s clash is going to be as intense and hostile as it ever has been between West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur due to the events of the summer.

The two clubs have not done any business at all for well over a decade, but the protocol was broken when Mohammed Kudus made the switch from West Ham to Spurs.

There is no doubt that the Ghana international needs to have a thick skin tomorrow afternoon, as all sorts of chants will likely be targeted at him.

West Ham ban a strange item for London derby vs Tottenham

According to The Standard, West Ham have now warned fans not to wear “items illustrating the colours/crests of both clubs”, making it clear that those will be binned by the security staff.

The East London club claim that they have made this decision as part of the “increased security measures” to prevent away supporters from getting access to home sections.

The club’s statement reads: “West Ham United would like to make supporters aware that enhanced security measures will be in place for Saturday’s match against Tottenham Hotspur.

“This includes additional checks at turnstiles, restrictions on half-and-half scarves or items illustrating the colours/crests of both clubs and steps to ensure home areas remain for West Ham United fans only.

“We would like to kindly ask all supporters for patience when entering the stadium to allow our staff to perform these checks, especially during the busiest times in the 45 minutes ahead of kick-off.”

This warning signals that authorities expect the crowd to be on a short fuse

No real Tottenham or West Ham fan would ever consider wearing a half-and-half scarf, but this announcement is probably intended for tourists, of whom there are a lot at the London Stadium.

This also signals that the authorities expect an extremely hostile crowd and the supporters to be on edge.

They seemingly fear that a half-and-half scarf in such an atmosphere could trigger altercations, with the fans potentially on a short fuse as Kudus returns to West Ham after making some provocative comments.