Cole may face criminal charges

West Ham captain Joe Cole is facing the possibility of criminal charges after he allegedly punched an opponent after the Hammers…

West Ham captain Joe Cole is facing the possibility of criminal charges after he allegedly punched an opponent after the Hammers' Premiership clash with Bolton yesterday.

Cole allegedly punched Bolton's French defender Bernard Mendy as he left the pitch yesterday.

Both the police and the Football Association have indicated they will make further inquiries before deciding whether to charge the star.

"They should let the referee deal with the situation and stay away," Roeder told the West Ham website, "but it is like talking to a brick wall asking players to do that.

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"They don't ever seem to learn, and it just makes the whole situation completely worse.

"At the end, apparently there were some unsavoury incidents but I was down the tunnel in the dressing room immediately after the game and I didn't see what happened."

The Football Association said they would await the referee's report before considering further action.

It issued a statement in which they said they would not comment until "Tuesday at the earliest", adding: "Obviously we must wait for all the match officials' reports and any additional reports which may or may not be forwarded to the FA".

Police refused to rule out further action being taken against the England midfielder yesterday following reports of a "number of incidents" in the tunnel after the game.

In one, 21-year-old Cole was allegedly seen "apparently punching" Mendy and "kicking out and damaging the tunnel", a police spokesman said.

His team-mate Rufus Brevett was also under investigation over claims he was involved in an altercation with a police officer, he added.

Superintendent Alan Greene said: "I will be forwarding a report to the FA about the behaviour of some of the West Ham players and I will await their response."

While currently "making inquiries to establish the facts", Greater Manchester Police could not rule out the possibility that further action could be taken against the players, the spokesman added.

The match, which Bolton won 1-0, was seen as a crucial relegation decider between the two teams as they battle for survival in the Premiership.

Bolton's victory means West Ham now trail the North West side by six points with just four games remaining, making it difficult for them to avoid relegation.