David Moyes has apologized for an incident in the game against Eintracht Frankfurt (1-0 loss, 3-1 over two games). The West Ham United manager kicked a ball hard at a ball boy, whose head just missed. Due to the loss, the Europa League campaign of The Hammers in Frankfurt. Moyes capped off his outburst of anger at the post-match press conference with a somewhat misguided joke.
Twelve minutes before time, Moyes appeared to be short-circuited when trailing in the Deutsche Bank Park. He kicked a thrown ball back to a ball boy, who was visibly startled. The Scot was immediately presented with a red card from the arbiter. “I have to apologize for kicking the ball to the ball boy. But he threw the ball to me very softly, it was perfect for a volley”, after which Moyes fell a short silence. “My apologies.”
A bizarre red card for @WestHamcoach David Moyes#FRAWHU
— ESPN NL (@ESPNnl) May 6, 2022
“I am disappointed because this was an opportunity. We have played against better teams than Frankfurt,” said 59-year-old Moyes. “If we are honest with ourselves, we probably lost because of the quick goal in the first leg. From that moment on we have been chasing Frankfurt.” Moyes was not the only one to be shown a red card in the semi-finals: Aaron Cresswell was sent off after 19 minutes after taking down the breakthrough Jens Petter Hauge. “It didn’t go our way tonight, but I’m proud of my players. How they held up with ten men was amazing,” Moyes praised his team.
Rice was also disappointed. “We are devastated,” the West Ham captain lamented. “We have come this far as a group, but I am very proud of how we have held our ground with ten men. We have shown tremendous strength by continuing to fight. We were looking for the attack, also with one man less, that says everything about this club. We fight until we can’t anymore, that makes me very proud.” The midfielder accused the referee of bias. “I think the red card was justified, but otherwise the decisions of the leader were bad. It seemed like he whistled in Frankfurt’s favor every time. If someone is like that to you, it’s a fight.”