Five Days On and Still No Evidence Against Taty | West Ham News

By Kris Gonzo | Senior West Ham Columnist (Follow on X)

Five days have passed since Millwall goalkeeper Filip Marschall accused Taty Castellanos of spitting at him during West Ham’s 2-2 draw at The Den.

It was an extremely serious allegation. Millwall raised it with the match officials and subsequently lodged a complaint, while referee Paul Tierney was expected to include the matter in his report for consideration by the Football Association.

Yet five days later there has still been no charge, no suspension and, most importantly, no publicly available footage proving Castellanos spat at anybody.

Television evidence fails to support accusation

This was not an incident hidden away at a non-league ground with one camera positioned on the halfway line. The match was televised and recorded from numerous angles, while Millwall and West Ham supporters have pored over every available frame.

Nobody has found footage showing Castellanos spitting. Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher confirmed on Sky Sports’ Ref Watch that its team had repeatedly examined the pictures.

“We’ve looked and looked and looked this morning and we can’t find that that has happened,” said Gallagher.

Gallagher believed Tierney handled the situation correctly. The referee could not dismiss a player based solely upon an allegation for something neither he nor his fellow officials had witnessed. Instead, the complaint could be recorded and passed to the FA to assess.

Footage does not pass the eye test

To my eyes, the available footage does not merely fail to provide direct evidence; the surrounding movement does not support the accusation either.

Castellanos was not shown standing in the immediate proximity of Marschall in a position from which an obvious spitting action could be seen. There was no visible body movement suggesting Taty had leaned backwards before propelling his head forward to create a projectile.

Nothing in the footage suggests that spitting took place. Frankly, based upon what can actually be seen, the suggestion appears preposterous.

Of course, that remains my opinion rather than an official FA conclusion. However, if there is no footage and no other evidence, Castellanos cannot reasonably be considered guilty simply because an accusation was made.

Questions will remain for Marschall

Millwall manager Alex Neil said he would be “extremely surprised” if his goalkeeper had made such an allegation without something happening. That is an understandable response from a manager supporting his player.

Nevertheless, if Castellanos did not spit, questions will inevitably be asked about how and why the accusation arose.

This was a dirty, confrontational derby in which Millwall were constantly seeking an edge.

The temperature hardly dropped as the game progressed. Mohamadou Kanté was eventually sent off during the remarkable comeback, while the original report on the Castellanos allegation warned that serious consequences could follow for two West Ham players.

And even the final whistle didn’t end it. As subsequently reported, West Ham and Millwall players and staff were involved in a heated tunnel altercation as tempers continued to boil over away from the cameras.

Emotions were running extremely high and rash decisions can be made in the heat of battle.

I am not defending Castellanos simply because he represents West Ham. When Arthur Masuaku spat towards Wigan’s Nick Powell in 2018, the evidence was apparent. He received a six-match suspension and deserved the criticism which followed including from myself.

This is entirely different. Five days after Marschall’s accusation, no evidence has emerged proving it. Until something tangible is produced, I am quite clear in my own mind that Taty did not spit at the Millwall goalkeeper.

The FA may yet provide a definitive answer. Given the seriousness of the allegation for both players, the sooner it does, the better.