West Ham United manager Julen Lopetegui has commented on the recent incident involving Mohammed Kudus, who was sent off for violent conduct in the East London derby against Tottenham.
Kudus initially gave West Ham the lead in the first half, but the team fell apart after halftime, conceding three goals in just seven minutes and ultimately losing the match 4-1.
The Ghanaian’s red card resulted from kicking out at Micky van de Ven, pushing his hands into Van de Ven’s face, and accidentally colliding with Richarlison.
He also pushed his hands into the face of Pape Mate Sarr, which the referee initially overlooked. After a VAR review, Kudus received a straight red card, leading to a three-match suspension for West Ham.
In response to the incident, Lopetegui suggested that Kudus’s unsportsmanlike behavior stemmed from frustration over disappointing results with the Ghanaian national team, which lost and drew against Sudan in the 2025 AFCON qualifiers, putting them at risk of missing the tournament for the first time since 2004.
“He brings his frustration with his national team, too, because they [Ghana] didn’t win both their two matches,” said Lopetegui.
“I talked with him about frustration. It can never be an excuse to lose your head. You have to use this frustration to better, to overcome, bad moments.
Lopetegui added that players return from international breaks with different experiences, and it’s crucial for Kudus to focus on the league and set aside his frustrations until the next break.
“But not to do this. He knows that. When you come back from international break, each player has a different experience – some positive, some negative. We talk about this.
“We try to talk in this case with him: ‘OK, you have to put your focus on the league and forget this until the next break. This frustration can happen inside you. That’s why you have to learn to handle this frustration, in sport, in life.”
“Unfortunately Kudus is going to be out for three matches because his behaviour was not good and he knows that.
“He knows he has to improve because this can’t happen. I hope it’s the last time this happens. I’m sure it is not going to happen [again].
“I talked with him and sometimes you don’t have to talk a lot about this kind of situation because he knows it was a mistake. I say, for sure, that he will learn about this incident and his behaviour will handle this better in the future,” he concluded.
The FA is still deciding on the ban for Kudus, but it’s likely to be a lengthy one. He’s already set to miss West Ham’s next three games, but it could be extended to six games or more, depending on the FA’s decision.
The FA is reviewing the incident and will make a decision soon.
