West Ham’s Taty Castellanos faces accusation of spitting at Millwall’s Filip Marschall

West Ham striker Taty Castellanos could face six-match ban if an allegation that he spat at Millwall goalkeeper Filip Marschall is upheld. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

A controversial incident involving West Ham striker Taty Castellanos became one of the main talking points from Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Millwall after he was accused of spitting at goalkeeper Filip Marschall.

The alleged incident occurred midway through the second half, when Castellanos approached Marschall as he prepared to release the ball. Marschall subsequently complained to the officials and appeared to gesture towards his shirt, suggesting that Castellanos had spat at him.

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Millwall boss Alex Neil said he was unaware of exactly what had happened and would wait for video evidence before forming an opinion. The fourth official had informed him that Marschall had made an allegation against the West Ham player.

If the accusation is upheld, Castellanos may be handed a six-match ban, dealing a significant setback to West Ham’s hopes of earning promotion.

Nuno Espirito Santo confirmed that he had been made aware of the claim but had not viewed the footage or discussed the incident with Castellanos. The West Ham manager said he would examine the images before offering a response.

The dramatic allegation came during the clubs’ first derby meeting in nearly 15 years. Millwall dominated the first half and went into the break two goals ahead, courtesy of Caleb Taylor and Camiel Neghli.

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West Ham improved considerably after half-time, with Mohamadou Kante and Konstantinos Mavropanos scoring to restore parity. The visitors then pushed for a late winner, but their momentum was checked when Kante was shown a red card for bringing down Kyrell Lisbie as the substitute broke through on goal.

Nuno acknowledged that his side had made a poor start, lacked accuracy and struggled to match Millwall’s physical intensity.