Deeney and Lanzini fail in effort to avoid bans
Troy Deeney will not play for Watford until next year after being banned for four games, while Manuel Lanzini has lost his appeal against a charge of diving.
Two months after his “cojones” outburst at Arsenal, Deeney’s season has suffered further turbulence
after the Football Association suspended him until early January.
Deeney was sent off in the first half against Huddersfield Town on Saturday, after a crude lunge on Collin Quaner, to become the ninth Watford player dismissed since the start of last season.
Watford lodged an appeal, but it was thrown out by the Football Association yesterday, ensuring the club captain will miss Premier League games against Brighton and Hove Albion, Leicester City, Swansea City and Manchester City. He will not be eligible to play until Watford’s FA Cup third-round tie at home to Bristol City on Jan 6.
It will be Deeney’s second lengthy suspension of the season, following his retrospective ban for a confrontation with Stoke City’s Joe Allen in late October. Deeney appeared to dig his thumbs into the
face of Allen following a clash with the Wales international in the closing moments of the fixture.
Marco Silva, the Watford manager, has insisted his side, who are without a win from their past five matches, do not have a disciplinary problem.
“No, I am sure about that,” the Portuguese said. “Until now you can talk about the red card for Miguel Britos [against Brighton in August]. I agree in that moment, but for the others I am sure we don’t have an issue.”
Lanzini, the West Ham forward, has also failed with an appeal against his charge of diving from last weekend.
West Ham submitted an appeal earlier yesterday after the Argentinian was charged for “successful deception of a match official”. Lanzini went down under a challenge
from Erik Pieters in the penalty area in West Ham’s 3-0 win at Stoke, with Mark Noble scoring from the spot, and a three-man independent panel reviewed video footage of the incident on Monday.
West Ham officials were stunned with the charge and contested it, but the appeal proved unsuccessful with FA officials. He missed last night’s Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, while he will also miss the Premier League home clash with Newcastle this weekend.
The FA’S statement read: “Manuel Lanzini will serve a two-match suspension with immediate effect after his denial of a charge of ‘Successful Deception of a Match Official’ was rejected.
“It follows the awarding of an 18th-minute penalty for West Ham United against Stoke City on Saturday December 16 2017.
“An Independent Regulatory Commission found the charge proven at a hearing today [yesterday].”
Lanzini becomes the second Premier League player to be retrospectively charged with simulation, after Everton’s Oumar Niasse was banned for two games last month.