Mohammed Kudus: West Ham star hit with FA charge after Tottenham derby meltdown

Mohammed Kudus has been charged by the Football Association (FA) after his red card against Tottenham.

The West Ham forward was sent off for pushing both Pape Matar Sarr and Micky van de Ven in the face in the closing stages as West Ham went down 4-1 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday.

Kudus faces a minimum three-game ban and the FA have now confirmed that he has been charged with “allegedly acting in an improper manner and/or used violent conduct after the offence he was sent off for”.

Spurs and West Ham have also both been charged for “failing to ensure that their players didn’t behave in an improper and/or provocative way”. Kudus and both clubs have until Thursday to respond to the FA charges.

Ghana international Kudus appeared to kick out twice at Van de Ven after the Spurs defender fell onto the ball, sparking the melee.

Kudus pushed his hands into the face of Van de Ven, who fell over after the impact. He then pushed his hands into the face of Sarr, in an incident that was initially missed by on-field referee Andrew Madley. Kudus also bumped into Richarlison, who went down holding his face.

Both he and Van de Ven were initially both booked but the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) recommended an on-field review and Kudus was sent off after Madley checked the pichside monitor.

Kudus will miss at least West Ham’s next three games against Manchester United, Nottingham Forest and Everton.

His ban is a blow for new Hammers boss Julen Lopetegui, who is coming under scrutiny following a slow start to the season.