West Ham fan stabbed outside White Hart Lane prior to Spurs match

Spurs' 4-1 home win over West Ham was overshadowed in part by fan violence after reports surfaced that a West Ham United fan was hospitalized after being stabbed outside White Hart Lane just prior to kick-off. The Guardian reported that a 35-year old man was stabbed in the abdomen just before kick-off outside of the Tottenham Hotspur stadium.

Details are sketchy about the attack; there is, as of now, no evidence that suggests the fan was stabbed by a Spurs supporter (though that seems likely) or the circumstances surrounding the incident. There were also unconfirmed reports of a group of West Ham supporters storming a Spurs bar at some point during the match.

I hate talking about this stuff, but it's news and needs to be reported. There's obviously a great deal of bad blood between Spurs and Hammers supporters that goes waaaaaaay back. West Ham views Tottenham as a major London rival, and prior matches between the two clubs have resulted in some reprehensible behavior from both sides, including West Hamm supporters hissing from the stands to simulate World War II gas chambers, and violence between both sets of supporter groups. Spurs fans are also equally complicit in perpetuating confrontations.

No doubt more details will emerge with time. All that said, violence is super dumb, and I wish stuff like this didn't happen. Can't we all just get along?