West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui blames Ghana for Kudus’ red card

West Ham's manager, Julen Lopetegui, criticized the Black Stars for influencing Mohammed Kudus' behavior during the recent Premier League match against Tottenham.

Kudus initially put West Ham ahead by scoring from a Jarrod Bowen assist in the first half, giving them a 1-0 advantage in the London Derby. However, Tottenham responded strongly, ultimately defeating West Ham 4-1.



Read full article/> In the final minutes of the match, after Spurs had established their dominance, Kudus was confronted by Micky van de Ven.

In reaction to the tackle and van de Ven's gestures, Kudus retaliated by poking the Dutch defender in the face and also directed a similar action towards Pape Sarr.

The incident involved the referee changing a yellow card to a red after consulting with video assistants, resulting in Kudus receiving his first red card since 2019.

Kudus's unsportsmanlike conduct was attributed to frustration by his manager, stemming from Ghana's disappointing results in the 2025 AFCON qualifiers against Sudan, which left the team at risk of missing the tournament for the first time since 2004.

His manager noted that Kudus's frustration was linked to the national team's poor performance, stating, "He has to improve his temperament because this can’t happen. I am sure this will be the last time it happens. The only way to handle frustration is to focus on the match because these kinds of behaviors ruin the match."

He expressed confidence that Kudus would learn from this incident and improve his conduct in the future.

Meanwhile, the FA is considering a suspension for Kudus, who will be unavailable for West Ham's next three league matches.