West Ham United’s Arthur Masuaku was sent off for spitting on Saturday.
Speaking on talkSPORT’s Sports Breakfast show, broadcast January 29, Joey Barton has given his two cents on the controversy surrounding West Ham United’s Arthur Masuaku.
The West Ham star was sent off in Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Wigan in the FA Cup fourth round for spitting at Nick Powell.
Hammers boss David Moyes pulled no punches in his assessment of the incident and called it a “despicable” gesture which will see Masuaku punished by the London club, in addition to his six-match ban.
The 24-year-old was widely criticised on social media for his behaviour and Barton has joked that any player victimised by similar incidents in the future should be permitted to carry out his own type of retribution.
He told talkSPORT: “I know Masuaku has come out and apologised but I think there should be no ban and the player should be allowed to just chin him.
“If someone spits in your face you just lamp him. The FA should just go, ‘fair enough’. I’d rather someone chinned me than spit at me.”
That law is unlikely to be passed, but it’s a serious situation for West Ham who are without one of their best players until March.
Masuaku has come on leaps and bounds since Moyes took over from Slaven Bilic in November and with United in a relegation scrap, they can’t afford to have their best players missing.
He is now absent for home games with Crystal Palace, Watford and Burnley, and will also miss visits to Brighton, Liverpool and Swansea City.
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