West Ham United fans in the stands head for the exit during the Emirates FA Cup, quarter-final match at the London Stadium. Photo credit : John Walton/PA Wire.
West Ham United fans in the stands head for the exit during the Emirates FA Cup, quarter-final match at the London Stadium. Photo credit : John Walton/PA Wire.
Thom Gibbs
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Today at 13:05
Whatever happened to the dance craze genre of pop song? Twirling your arms to Whigfield’s Saturday Night, wiggling your bum to the Macarena, Oops Upside Your Head requiring everybody to sit on the floor and pretend they are rowing a boat, for some reason. All gone, like the magic of the FA Cup, but perhaps there was a resurgence at West Ham on Sunday?
We need some instructional lyrics. Everybody, do the London Stadium shuffle! Watch your team concede a pen/shuffle to the exits, then see your side go 2-0 down/head straight back to home, right now.
Having left the stadium before extra time, a group of West Ham United fans watched the FA Cup penalty shootout against Leeds United outside the stadium on FaceTime from a fellow supporter.
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— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) April 5, 2026
West Ham fans have had plenty of practice leaving their ground early and few were blaming them after 75 minutes of their FA Cup quarter-final against Leeds. They had been thoroughly outplayed and seemed decisively in “focus on the league” mode once two goals behind. Unfortunately, on this occasion, unlike previous mass early walk-outs, West Ham rallied and rescued a draw.
Within the stadium, there was an unusual sight: empty stands partially refilling, with some supporters clearly reconsidering their departures and returning to watch extra time. Some were not so lucky, passing the point of no return.
Shortly after extra time began, West Ham’s Supporter Services account on X reminded fans that those leaving would not be allowed back.
This was information that would have been useful about 35 minutes earlier, shortly after Leeds went 2-0 up. It came too late for the supporters locked outside the gates, peering in, some of whom resorted to watching the penalty shoot-out via FaceTime calls to fans still within the ground.
There are well-known logistical reasons for leaving the London Stadium early, especially for the large West Ham diaspora who live in Essex. Missing your train might add an hour to an already challenging journey because of the queues that form at Stratford station. There was also nothing to suggest their team would rally given their showing in the game or their form in general this season. That changed only when at least 11 minutes of injury time was announced, just as Leeds had dared to sing a few lines of Whatever Will Be, Will Be.
Those who were locked out must ponder numerous philosophical quandaries about football fandom in what remains of the Bank Holiday weekend. Is it ever acceptable to leave a match early? Can you say “I was there” for a game you watched most of, while missing the most exciting part? Does consistently beating the traffic outweigh the occasional time your team embarrasses you by suddenly playing competently?
Perhaps none of this really matters, given West Ham lost 4-2 on penalties.