Fan melee mars Crew-West Ham friendly in Columbus

• by Paul Kennedy  @pkedit, Jul 21, 2008

[MLS] One of the worst incidents of fan trouble involving an MLS club took place Sunday when the friendly between the Columbus Crew and English club West Ham United was marred by a melee between rival fans that broke out at halftime.

More than 100 fans were reported to have taken part in the scuffle that began when fans shouted at each other. The confrontation later moved to the stadium concourse. There was no confirmation on the number of fans arrested inside the stadium.

Trouble is nothing new to Crew and West Ham fans.

MLS Commissioner Don Garber vowed to ban a Crew fan for life after he shouted a racial slur at the New England Revolution's South African forward, Kheli Dube, after he scored late in an MLS game earlier this season.

West Ham fans have a long history of hooliganism. The 2005 movie Green Street Hooligans is the story of a group of West Ham supporters.

According to the Columbus Dispatch, Hammer fans unfurled a banner  that read " ICF, 30 Years Undefeated" during the second half of Sunday's game.

ICF (the Inter City Firm) was one of the most notorious fan groups during the 1970s and 1980s.