West Ham United’s Mohammed Kudus has been handed an additional two-match ban and a £60,000 fine for his violent conduct in the defeat against Tottenham Hotspur last month.
The 24-year-old Ghana international was initially shown a yellow card for his foul on Micky van de Ven, but a VAR check upgraded it to a red card.
Kudus had already missed games against Manchester United and Nottingham Forest due to the initial three-match ban, which concludes this weekend. The extended ban means he will also miss the upcoming games against Newcastle and Arsenal.
The incident sparked a melee between the two teams, with Van de Ven claiming Kudus “punched him in the face” and Pape Matar Sarr being shoved in the face by Kudus. The Football Association has also fined West Ham £30,000 for failing to control their players.
A statment from the FA read: “West Ham United and Mohammed Kudus have been sanctioned in relation to incidents during their Premier League fixture against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday 19 October.
“It was alleged that the club failed to ensure their players didn’t behave in an improper and/or provocative and/or violent way around the 82nd minute. West Ham United admitted to this charge, and an independent Regulatory Commission subsequently fined the club £30,000.
“It was also alleged that Mohammed Kudus acted in an improper manner and/or used violent conduct after the offence that he was sent off for. The forward admitted to this charge, and he has been given a two-match suspension and £60,000 fine by the Regulatory Commission.”
This additional suspension is a blow to West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui, who is already under pressure with the team having won just three of their 10 Premier League games since he took over. The Hammers currently lie 14th in the table.
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