DECLAN RICE has spoken out after furiously accusing last night’s referee of “corruption” following West Ham’s Europa League elimination.
The England star was extremely upset after the Hammers’ 3-1 aggregate semi-final defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt – taking his fury out on ref Jesus Gil Manzano.
Declan Rice was fuming at the conclusion of last night’s gameCredit: Rex
Tunnel footage captured Rice berating the ref after the gameCredit: Fox Sports
Tunnel cameras revealed Rice’s rant, during which he fumed: “Ref! Ref! it is so poor. All night, it is so bad. How can you be that bad? Honestly.”
He then turned to walk away and added: “You’ve probably been f***ing paid. F***ing corruption.”
In an Instagram message to fans, Rice made no mention of the officials – instead choosing to shed light on the positives from West Ham’s run.
He wrote: “Absolutely gutted. Couldn’t be prouder of this team and the fans – we’ve had some unforgettable nights.
“Together, we gave absolutely everything and wore our hearts on our sleeves. ❤️
“Still a massive end to the season. ⚒”
Following Rice’s tirade, West Ham posted a short statement.
It read: “The Club is aware of the video circulating on social media but will not be commenting further until the referee’s report from the Europa League semi-final second leg against Eintracht Frankfurt has been considered.”
Rice will likely be disciplined by Uefa for his outburst and may face a fine and/or ban.
He told BT Sport last night: “I think it’s an overlook of the whole game and the decisions that were made, to be honest.
“The sending-off was probably a sending-off, looking back at it, but some of the other decisions were poor tonight. Nothing seemed to go for us.
“The ref seemed to make every decision go for them and in the end, when you’ve got someone who is against you, you can’t really do much.”
David Moyes has defended his star midfielder, saying: “It shows you how much all the players care.
“Unless you are in the heat of it sometimes people don’t understand how it feels.”
The Scot also finds himself in hot water, after booting a ball at a ball boy during last night’s bad-tempered game.
After the match, the 59-year-old said: “I kicked the ball back at the ballboy so I apologise for that.
“But he did throw it at me very slowly. He left it short nicely on the volley for me.
“I apologise for it. It didn’t hit him, I think I bent it past him.”
David Moyes was red carded for booting the ball towards a ballboyCredit: Reuters
