Friday 22 December 2017 17:13, UK
West Ham manager David Moyes has slammed the decision to hand Manuel Lanzini a two-match ban for simulation.
Lanzini became the second Premier League player to be suspended under the new rules regarding 'successful deception of a match official' following last weekend's win at Stoke.
The Hammers took the lead through a Mark Noble penalty, awarded by referee Graham Scott after Lanzini went down under pressure from Eric Pieters.
Stoke manager Mark Hughes said after the match he felt Lanzini had dived and the Argentine was subsequently hit with an FA charge, which was upheld on appeal by an independent regulatory commission.
Lanzini will serve the second match of the ban when the Hammers entertain Newcastle on Saturday and Moyes says that, while he supports the new rule, his player has been harshly treated on this occasion, due to the debatable nature of the incident.
Moyes said: "Referees do a great job in trying to keep the game moving and I think they do a great job in trying to give the right decisions.
"Our referee was 10 yards from it, the defender stuck his leg out, and the player went over. I think he gave the referee a decision, and the referee took the decision.
"The FA and the committee have gone against the referee, not against us, they have gone against their own people.
"If they don't support them on decisions which are splitting the country, I think it is very difficult.
"I think the rule brought in is a really good rule, but I am disappointed with the decision, because I think that similar situations have not been dealt with in the same way ours has.
"I feel that is a bit unfair - it is more than unfair."
Moyes has lifted the Londoners out of the relegation zone since taking charge, and they have a chance to claim more points when fellow strugglers Newcastle visit this weekend.
But Moyes has asked supporters to be patient as he attempts to guide the Hammers up the Premier League table.
"My ambition is to be at the top, it always is, but doing that is small steps," he said. "It's a long journey.
"Quite often, supporters don't like that. We're not necessarily a club who will spend hundreds of millions to get there in the short term.
"So, we need to rely on our youth policy, and trying to develop the club will get you there. It takes time."
West Ham captain Mark Noble will miss Saturday's match, while winger Michail Antonio is a doubt with a calf problem.
Moyes said: "I think the big one is that Mark Noble won't be available for the weekend, as he has a bit of a hamstring injury.
"We have a doubt with Michail Antonio, who couldn't play in the Carabao Cup tie at Arsenal in midweek as he had a bit of a calf injury. That gives us a question mark about him."
