Police were called to the Grosvenor House Hotel after an angry exchange between supporters and striker Demba Ba after the player said he was “too tired” to sign an autograph – a claim since denied by Ba.

A disturbance broke out on a table near to Squibb’s and a chair was knocked over on the contractor’s table during the fracas.

Embarassed hotel staff paid for Squibb’s drinks all night to apologise for the incident.

Squibb said: “While an incident on a nearby table did result in one of the chairs at the Squibb Group table being knocked over, Squibb Group employees, representatives and guests were not involved in the incident.

“In fact, to apologise for the disturbance caused to the Squibb Group table, the hotel did not charge the Squibb Group for its drinks.”

The Squibb Group has a long association with West Ham  and the Squibb family are lifelong West Ham fans. The firm’s fleet is painted claret and blue.

Managing director Leslie Squibb, who was at the dinner, said: “As a die-hard West Ham supporter, I was proud to sponsor the award for the best performance of the season and was delighted that the recipient – Jonathan Spector – was able to join us on our table for the evening.

“We were entertaining some of our most high-profile and influential clients at the event and we certainly were not involved in any scuffles.”