Spitting allegation overshadows West Ham's 2-2 comeback at Millwall
Millwall goalkeeper Filip Marschall has accused West Ham forward Valentin 'Taty' Castellanos of spitting on him during a 2-2 draw at The Den on Saturday. The lunchtime game on 19 September was a Championship fixture, a meeting in the second tier of English football, with kick-off at 12.30pm BST. BBC reported the allegation after full time.
The alleged incident came in the 65th minute. Millwall were leading 2-0 at that stage of the derby. Television cameras caught Marschall, 23, speaking to referee Paul Tierney and pointing to a spot on his shirt he claimed was spit.
Castellanos is 27 and leads the line for West Ham. Marschall was in goal for Millwall, standing at the opposite end to both dugouts for much of the second half. That distance would matter later, when both managers were asked what they had seen.
Tierney did not stop play to punish anyone for the claim. The game carried on. After the final whistle, Millwall lodged a complaint to the match officials about what Marschall said had happened.
Both managers said they had not seen the incident. Millwall boss Alex Neil and West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo gave the same answer. The alleged exchange took place on the far side of the pitch from where they were standing.
On the pitch, the match swung late. A derby is football language for a game between local rivals, and this one was loud from the start. West Ham arrived at The Den as league leaders. They finished the afternoon down to 10 men, a side playing short after losing a player, yet still fought back to draw 2-2. ESPN also reported Marschall's allegation after the Saturday draw.
Spitting is dealt with severely under the laws of the game. In England a proven offence typically carries a six-match ban. That punishment applies even if the referee misses it at the time and the complaint comes afterwards.
For fans picking this up, that is why the result is only part of the story. A 2-2 comeback for 10-man league leaders would normally lead the talk. Here the attention has shifted to the officials' report and what happens next.
