West Ham star Mohamed Kudus' three-game ban for his sending off against Tottenham has been extended to five games, the FA has confirmed.
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Kudus lost his head and kicked out at Spurs playersAlso appeared to push players in the faceSuspension extended by governing bodyFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
During West Ham's ill-tempered 4-1 loss to Spurs earlier last month, Kudus fouled Micky van de Ven, and then appeared to aim a slap at the Dutch defender. Before leaving the pitch, Kudus also inadvertently made contact with Richarlison, sending him sprawling, and palmed Pape Sarr in the face. He was initially shown a yellow card, but VAR intervened and the card was upgraded to a red. After the game, Mike Dean speculated that he would be hit with a longer ban, and that prediction has been proven correct. Kudus has also been fined £60,000.
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Kudus has already served the first two games of his ban, against Manchester United and Nottingham Forest, and will also be out of this weekend's clash with Everton. Now, the FA's decision to extend the ban means that he will be unavailable for games against Arsenal and Newcastle as Julen Lopetegui attempts to turn the Irons' form around.
WHAT KUDUS SAID
Kudus told the independent regulatory commission that he accepted the charge and was "deeply embarrassed" by the incident.
Per Sky Sports, they said: "MK [Mohamed Kudus] began his letter by apologising, stating that he was deeply embarrassed by his behaviour in the 20 seconds following his foul on Micky van de Ven.
"He accepted that he had lost his cool and said that his behaviour was out of character.
"He stated that he could not recall the events clearly, but having viewed the footage, he felt that MvdV [Micky van de Ven] had exaggerated the incident as there was minimal contact from him…He accepted that he should not have pushed PS [Pape Sarr] in the face and that his action merited a red card. However, he did not injure anyone, or use force.
"MK [Mohamed Kudus] stated that his preparation for the match had been mentally and physically challenging because he had travelled for a midweek international fixture and had received various negative comments on social media. He referred to his work within the community and in his home country of Ghana, stressing how he tried to be a role model."
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West Ham lie in 14th in the Premier League table and were soundly beaten by Nottingham Forest at the weekend. They face Everton on Saturday, but must do so without both Kudus and Edson Alvarez, who was sent off against Forest.
