Micky van de Ven has offered his verdict on the altercation with Mohammed Kudus during Tottenham’s 4-1 win against West Ham. The Netherlands international was fouled, kicked and then struck in the face by the Hammers attacker, which resulted in him being shown a straight red card for violent conduct.
Kudus had initially given his side the lead at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium but his afternoon ended very differently after Spurs scored three times in eight minutes. In the wake of that action, a chaotic brawl ensued which also saw Pape Matar Sarr hit in the face.
The FA have charged both London clubs with Van de Ven now issuing his thoughts on the brawl. “What I can remember is that I had a duel with Kudus and I fell down on the ground and I had the feeling that he kicked too much through on the ball,” he said in a press conference before the Europa League clash against AZ Alkmaar.
“He tried to kick the ball, but hit me twice, three times. I was obviously a bit mad in this situation and I stood up and I pushed him and then the situation happened from his side.
“He literally punched me in the face as I went down!
“To be honest, I don’t know what happened afterwards, I didn’t really see what happened afterwards, but that is the situation. The FA said we need to get fined for this. It is not how I think about it. If I think about, it would be a different situation.”
It has since been revealed that the club have been fined £20,000 by the FA after accepting a charge of failing to control their players with players from both clubs deemed they ‘didn’t behave in an improper and/or provocative and/or violent way’.
Van de Ven was also booked for his role in the incident after he pushed Kudus, with Postecoglou hit by a fresh worry as a result. That caution was his third of the season already which will see him walk a suspension tightrope for the next few months before bookings are wiped after game week 19, which isn’t until late-December.
