In the aftermath of missing out on a place in the Europa League final, Declan Rice accused the referee of corruption.
On May 5, West Ham crashed out of the competition after a 1-0 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt. Following a 2-1 defeat in the first leg, ‘The Hammers’ needed to bounce back, but they failed to do so.
The game couldn’t have started much worse with Aaron Creswell getting sent off in the 19th-minute for dragging his man down outside the box.
The dismissal left the English side in despair, and in a lapse of concentration, they left Rafael Santos Borré alone in the box shortly afterwards. Ansgar Knauff found his Colombian teammate, and the Bundesliga side took the lead. However, despite the goal, West Ham still had plenty of fight left in them.
The two teams traded chances as the match descended into chaos. Eventually, the stakes of the game became too much for David Moyes to handle. During a pitchside argument, he volleyed the ball towards a ball boy and received a red card.
Despite their manager’s sending off, the London side continued to give their all to find a way back into the fixture. But no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t find it. The final whistle blew, and they exited the competition 3-1 on aggregate.
Although the club should feel a sense of pride after overcoming the likes of Sevilla and Lyon, they’re unsurprisingly still devastated by the result. But the fans aren’t the only ones feeling frustrated. After the game, their best midfielder lost his cool.
Read: Kidderminster boss reveals Declan Rice joined his players after FA Cup defeat.
Declan Rice accuses referee of corruption
Every footballer has days where their frustration with the officials reaches boiling point. But usually, their comments aren’t caught on camera. However, footage has emerged which captures Rice giving the referee an absolute earful.
During an altercation in the tunnel, the 23-year-old shouted: “Ref, ref, it’s so poor. All night, it’s so bad. How can you be that bad? Honestly, you’ve probably been f***ing paid. F***ing corruption.”
Irrespective of the official’s performance, Rice has no proof that the referee was corrupt. Therefore, he could face a significant fine and ban for his accusations.
Declan Rice is already in hot water for his collision with Eddie Nketiah
Just a few days prior to launching allegations at the referee, the player nearly came to blows with an old friend. During West Ham’s local derby with Arsenal, Rice lost control. Despite knowing Eddie Nketiah since they were children, Rice aggressively got in the striker’s face and told the smaller man to, “shut his mouth.”
Ultimately, they were split up before things went too far. But with the England star generating more media headlines, he’ll have to address his behaviour.
Featured Image Credit: Getty
