West Ham United play host to Newcastle at the London Stadium in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.
Newcastle will obviously represent a big test for West Ham in the Premier League this weekend, and it seems as though we could face an even tougher challenge this weekend.
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The Hammers have made a fine start to our 2023/24 campaign and the Magpies have made huge improvements after a slow start to the season.
David Moyes will be fully aware just how hard this weekend’s game will be.
However, now it could be even more difficult it seems…
West Ham fans won’t be happy one little bit with official announcement ahead of Newcastle clash
Unfortunately for us, Peter Bankes will officiate the game at the London Stadium on Sunday (WHUFC.com).
The Hammers have a lot of history with the 41-year-old referee.
He was in charge during our home defeat to Brentford during the 2021/22 season and put in one of the worst performances ever witnessed by a referee at the London Stadium.
Bankes also incorrectly awarded Tottenham a penalty during our 1-1 draw at the London Stadium last season, only for it to be overturned by VAR.
The 41-year-old officiated our draw with Southampton last term, when we were hit with an FA charge after the game, having surrounded the referee. This came after Bankes inexplicably blocked Jarrod Bowen from intercepting a Southampton player immediately before they scored.
In addition to all of that, Bankes was on VAR when Anthony Taylor awarded Arsenal a penalty at the Emirates two seasons ago.
And for the cherry on the top of a very sour tasting cake, the Premier League referee was on VAR when Fabian Balbuena was handed a ludicrous red card during our home match against Chelsea a few years ago.
That is quite the rap-sheet isn’t it! Let’s hope that Bankes doesn’t try to be the centre of attention during the West Ham vs Newcastle clash, and that we’re only talking about the football after the game has finished.
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