West Ham To Appeal Against Kouyate Red Card

West Ham United will contest the red card Cheikhou Kouyate received during Sunday's 5-1 FA Cup win at Blackburn. Kouyate was given a straight red card for apparently denying a goal scoring opportunity to Blackburn defender Adam Henley, and if Henley had legs that were two metres long then that might have been the case, however there is no way on god's earth that either (a) the player would have reached the ball or (b) Goal Keeper Darren Randolph would not have easily reached the ball first! This should be a relatively straight forward appeal, but one that is totally necessary given the potential three match ban that follows an instant dismissal, Kouyate had only just returned to first team duties following the spell of 'compulsory observation' required after having been knocked unconscious previously. Cheikhou Kouyate is a crucial player for West Ham United, his powerful runs stretch the opposition and help create the space that is required for the 'Payet Show' that fans are prepared to pay out and travel far distances just to witness at first hand.
Hammers co-chairman David Gold today wrote on Twitter….
"Yes, we will appeal Kouyate's red card, which we believe was a mistake by the referee,"
"The Blackburn player wasn't going to get the ball anyway so he wasn't denied a goalscoring opportunity."
It is to be hoped the appeals committee see reason, as there are some tough and important fixtures approaching that could define Hammers' ultimate season at the old girl that is the Boleyn Ground. - Ed