West Ham United forward, Mohammed Kudus
West Ham United forward Mohammed Kudus has admitted to losing control of his emotions in a bust-up with some Tottenham players during a Premier League fixture on October 19, 2024.
Kudus, as will be recalled, was sent off in the game and handed a three-match ban after a scuffle with Tottenham’s Van de Ven and Pape Matar Sarr.
As announced on Wednesday, November 6, 2024, the ban has been extended to five matches with a fine of £60,000 for violent misconduct.
According to a statement released by the independent regulatory commission, Mohammed Kudus pleaded guilty to the charges and apologized for his misconduct.
He, however, attributed the incident to built-up emotions from Ghana’s poor performance in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Kudus, as per the statement, indicated that the trolls and abuses from social media users following Ghana’s draw and defeat to Sudan in a doubleheader contributed to the frustrations he displayed in the game.
“MK [Mohammed Kudus] began his letter by apologizing, stating that he was deeply embarrassed by his behavior in the 20 seconds following his foul on Micky van de Ven. He accepted that he had lost his cool and said that his behavior 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 [Mohammed 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.”
As a result of the extension of the ban, Kudus will miss West Ham’s matches against Newcastle and Arsenal in the Premier League.
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