LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 02: Diafra Sakho of West Ham vies with Edu Moya of FC Lusitans during the UEFA Europa League match between West Ham United and FC Lusitans at Boleyn Ground on July 2, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images)

West Ham’s Sakho arrested for assault on woman, manager refuses to drop him

Posted by on Aug 13, 2015 19:42

Diafra Sakho and West Ham United have some explaining to do.

According to a Scotland Yard representative: “Officers from Tower Hamlets have arrested a man on suspicion of common assault, criminal damage and malicious communication. The 25-year-old was arrested on Thursday 6 August…and has been bailed to a date in late September.” Sakho was arrested at his home as reported by the Daily Mail.

Manager Slaven Bilic confirmed yesterday that Sakho has been training with the team as normal since the arrest last week. Sakho also played nearly a full ninety minutes in the Arsenal match on August 9th. Bilic is quoted by the BBC, speaking of Sakho, as saying “I spoke with him. But he looks very positive, he’s not worried about it. I am happy with him. For all the other aspects of this problem, you should talk to Diafra.”

There’s no indication that Bilic–or anyone else for that matter–seems concerned at all for the woman on the alleged receiving end of Sakho’s violence.

To compound the matter, Bilic has effectively frozen out Morgan Amalfitano for a “locker room disturbance.” Thus, in Bilic’s world, hitting your girlfriend is a private matter, but causing a locker room dust room results in being ostracized. Double compounding the matter is Bilic’s abandonment of a plan to sign much-maligned midfielder Joey Barton, further confusing Bilic’s moral and ethical compass.

I am by no means suggesting that Sakho should be punished before he is convicted of any crime. However, playing a potential abuser of women likely does not convey the public image for which West Ham would like to be known. They are now supporting an accused and arrested abuser of women, which is pretty shameful any way you look at it.
West Ham should be riding high right now after last week’s stunning 2-0 victory over Arsenal. Now, they have a potential Ray Rice situation on their hands. Do the right thing Bilic and consider what you’re doing here.

About Josh Howard

Josh Howard is a PhD Candidate in Public History at Middle Tennessee State University where he writes about empathy, museums, and visitor studies. He is also a massive DC United fan and serves as a co-editor for ussporthistory.com. For more, check out jhowardhistory.com.

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