Keith Hackett: FA could step in and punish Michail Antonio after West Ham United loss v Spurs
We’re delighted to welcome former Premier League referee Keith Hackett as our exclusive West Ham United columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at the London Stadium...
Keith Hackett has insisted that West Ham United forward Michail Antonio could face retrospective punishment after the 3-1 defeat against Spurs.
The ex-FIFA official admitted that the striker should have been sent off after being spotted throwing an arm in the face of Eric Dier.
As the officials and VAR missed the incident, the FA can step in and issue a ban, something which Hackett believes could be looked at today (21 March).
“I think most people missed it,” he exclusively told West Ham News.
“That is clearly a deliberate, illegal use of the arm against the opponent, and had it been seen, he would have walked – he got away it.
“This is exactly what VAR is for, where was VAR? He’s wiped him across the face, he’s got away with it.
“I just hope the Football Association pick up on it today, and for an act of violent conduct, which this is, can issue retrospective punishment.”
Frustration.
No one has worked harder than Antonio without getting any results, and this was another afternoon where that was the case.
The Jamaican international will have been hugely frustrated, but as an experienced professional, you cannot be doing things like this.
If this is picked up on by the FA, it is hard to see it going any other way apart from a ban in the coming weeks after the international break.
Should that happen, the obvious gaps in the squad that weren’t strengthened in January will come to light yet again.
In other West Ham United news, Ally McCoist and Alan Brazil disagreed live on talkSPORT in a debate about the Hammers manager
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