Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven has accused West Ham forward Mohammed Kudus of “punching” him in the face during Spurs’ 4-1 victory over West Ham on October 19.
The incident occurred in the 82nd minute and escalated into a scuffle involving players from both teams. Kudus initially received a yellow card for the altercation, but after a VAR review, the card was upgraded to a red for violent conduct.
Describing the incident, Van de Ven said, “I had a duel with Mohammed Kudus and fell down on the ground. I had a feeling that he kicked too much through the ball and hit me like three times. I was a bit mad and stood up and pushed him. Then he literally punched me; he punched me in the face and I went down.”
As a result of the melee, both Tottenham and West Ham were fined £20,000 by the FA for failing to control their players. However, Van de Ven expressed confusion over the fine, saying, “If the FA say you need to get fined, it’s not how I think about it. I think it should be a different situation.”
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou defended his players, stating, “I thought our players controlled themselves, but the FA felt differently. Kudus lost his composure, but I don’t think that’s like him.”
Kudus is currently serving a three-game suspension, but the FA is reviewing the incident, and his suspension could be extended depending on the final decision.
