West Ham's Arthur Masuaku Banned Six Matches for Spitting at Opponent

The West Ham defender was sent off for spitting at an opponent during an FA Cup loss to Wigan.

West Ham United defender Arthur Masuaku has been handed a six-match ban by the Football Association, after receiving a red card for spitting during his side's 2-0 FA Cup shock defeat to Wigan Athletic on Saturday, according to reports. 

The 24-year-old was dismissed by referee Chris Kavanagh four minutes into the second-half when he spat at Latics forward Nick Powell, following a challenge from the former Manchester United man.

It was expected that the Frenchman would face further retrospective action once the governing body had looked into the incident, and Sky Sports have since confirmed that the FA have deemed a six-game ban as the appropriate punishment. 

Following the incident West Ham boss David Moyes branded his player "despicable", and assured alongside any external disciplinary action taken, there would be consequences for Masuaku also enforced by the club. 

The left back's disgusting actions mean that the manager will now have even more of a selection headache as they head into what is a crucial part of their campaign. 

Over their next six Premier League clashes, the Hammers face four of their fellow relegation battlers, with the visits of Crystal Palace and Watford broken up by trips to Brighton & Hove Albion and Swansea City. 

Alongside that they also come up against free-scoring Liverpool and this season's surprise package in Burnley, in what could be a term defining period. 

Masuaku now becomes the second player this month to be handed a six-game ban for spitting at an opponent, with Leeds United forward Samu Saiz slapped with the same punishment in early January.