the times | Saturday April 30 2022 1GS 5
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will not be favourites to beat Chelsea
but, with games running out, there
would be no better time to pack a punch.
“It rests on us,” added Lampard, who
will be without defender Ben Godfrey
for weeks because of a quad injury but
has Yerry Mina and Dominic Calvert-
Lewin back.
allege that they were struck multiple
times on the neck and back of the head.
A West Ham spokesman said those
responsible would face an “indefinite
ban” from London Stadium, adding:
“Following a thorough internal investi-
gation, West Ham United can confirm
two offenders have been identified. As
well as continuing our own investi-
gation, in line with our zero-tolerance
approach, the offenders’ details have al-
so been passed on to the police, who will
now conduct their own investigation.”
Hofmeister first raised the allega-
tions on air during the match, saying:
“We are being attacked. They threw the
headset down on my colleague Tim.” In
an article published yesterday on theHessenschau website, the pair wrote:
“The trigger was that we simply did our
job. We commented emotionally on the
game and Eintracht’s goal.”
The pair remained in their position
until half-time, when security arrived.
“We had to comment on the first half
with the constant fear that someone
would jump on our back and maybe not
just attack with their fists,” they
explained. “After the game, the club’s
security staff ushered us out of the
stadium and into a kind of lounge. We
were advised not to leave the stadium
promptly for our safety.”
Uefa will not open disciplinary pro-
ceedings while West Ham are investi-
gating but are in touch with the club.England friendlies. The World Cup this
winter is part of a separate broadcast
agreement and will be shown on BBC
and ITV.
The Nations League has been held
twice, with England finishing third in
2019, the edition won by Portugal.
Gareth Southgate’s side will use these
six matches as preparation for the
World Cup, which begins in November.
The semi-finals and final of the
Nations League are due to be played in
June 2023. France beat Spain to win the
2021 edition.
ITV won the previous auction of
England qualifiers, in 2017, and has had
the rights to show live coverage of
England’s qualifiers to Euro 2020, the2022 World Cup and friendlies. Sky had
secured England matches over a four-
year period for the Nations League.
Channel 4 has been praised for its
coverage of cricket, particularly after
the 2005 Ashes series and England’s
2019 World Cup win. The move comes
as Channel 4’s privatisation is expected
to begin next year, with a sale likely to
be completed by early 2024 at a price of
about £1 billion.
Alex Mahon, the Channel 4 chief
executive, said: “As a life-long commit-
ted football fan I am personally so
delighted that we have these matches
on the channel which further reinforce
our reputation as a top quality sport
broadcaster.”“I have seen the determination the
squad and if that is reality hitting you in
the face then fine, football does that to
you in many different ways. There are
games you have to win to get you where
you want to go. If those are the rules
now, then that is good pressure on the
lads and they have to react positively.”West Ham identify commentator attackers
Gary JacobWest Ham United have identified two
supporters who are alleged to have
attacked two German radio commen-
tators during the club’s 2-1 defeat by
Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa
League semi-final first leg.
Tim Brockmeier and Philipp Hof-
meister, broadcasters for ARD Radio,
claimed on air that they were set upon
and had their headphones ripped off by
home fans after Michail Antonio
levelled in the 21st minute.
The commentators — who were
sitting in the last row of the media area,
next to the West Ham fans — alsoAll England matches will be on
terrestrial television until Euro 2024
after Channel 4 bought the live rights
for the Nations League and European
Championship qualifiers.
The deal, which reinforces the chan-
nel’s growing reputation as a sports
broadcaster, means it will take over
Nations League coverage from Sky and
the European qualifiers from ITV.
England’s Nations League campaign
features home and away fixtures
against Germany, Italy and Hungary —
four in June and two in September. It is
understood that the deal also includesChannel 4 to show England games till 2024
Martyn Ziegler Chief Sports ReporterDAVID BLUNSDEN/ACTION PLUS/SHUTTERSTOCK
Lampard says
reality of being in
the bottom three
has hit home
among his
Everton squad