• West Ham angry at below-strength Fulham team against Hull
• League: ‘We will now ask Fulham for their observations’
The Premier League has confirmed it has received an official complaint from West Ham United over Roy Hodgson’s decision to field a weakened team in Fulham’s defeat at Hull City last Saturday.
The Fulham manager left out five key players for the match at the KC Stadium, which Hull won 2-0 to pull level with Gianfranco Zola’s relegation-threatened side on 27 points.
Bobby Zamora, Danny Murphy, Damien Duff, Aaron Hughes and Dickson Etuhu all missed the game but returned for last night’s 2-1 win over Wolfsburg, which prompted the West Ham hierarchy to claim that Hodgson broke Premier League rules.
A Premier League spokesman said: “We can confirm that we have received an official complaint from West Ham over this matter. We will now ask Fulham for their observations and then the Premier League board will then consider what actions, if any, are appropriate.”
Premier League rules state that all teams must field their strongest side available for all games.
Should they find Fulham guilty, the Premier League could decide to impose a penalty similar to the £25,000 suspended fine imposed on Wolves after Mick McCarthy rested nine of his players for his side’s defeat at Manchester United in December.
Premier LeagueFulhamWest Ham UnitedHull Cityguardian.co.uk
