West Ham succeed with appeal against Sofiane Feghouli suspension and mull second bid for Jermain Defoe
West Ham have received a boost ahead of their FA Cup third-round clash with Manchester City after the club succeeded with an appeal against midfielder Sofiane Feghouli’s three-match ban.
Feghouli was controversially shown a straight red card for a tackle on defender Phil Jones early in Monday’s 2-0 Premier League defeat at home to Manchester United.
The Hammers lodged a challenge on Tuesday and the Football Association swiftly rescinded the suspension, meaning the Algerian is free to face City at the London Stadium on Friday.
Read more: England's top six is stronger than ever – but is that good?
Referee Mike Dean has avoided repercussions over the decision, however, and is set to officiate in Sunday’s high-profile cup tie between Tottenham and Aston Villa.
Sofiane Feghouli's three-match suspension withdrawn following Independent Regulatory Commission hearing: https://t.co/8EHXxQ0zVM
— England Football (@EnglandFootball) January 4, 2017
Hammers' Defoe bid rejected
Defoe spent five years at West Ham earlier in his career (Source: Getty)
West Ham, meanwhile, are also believed to be considering their next move after failing with a bid of around £6m for their former striker Jermain Defoe from Sunderland.
Defoe, 34, has scored 33 goals in 74 games for the Black Cats since returning from a short-lived spell with Toronto in Major League Soccer.
The former England marksman spent five years with the Hammers after joining them from Charlton as a 16-year-old, but left for Spurs under a cloud half a season after relegation to the Championship.