West Bromwich Albion are facing a Premier League investigation over their decision not to field Robert Snodgrass at West Ham.
The Scottish playmaker left the Hammers earlier in the month, signing an 18-month contract at The Hawthorns.
West Ham lost 2-1 away to West Brom in the Premier League on Tuesday night, with Snodgrass nowhere to be found.
Baggies manager Sam Allardyce told a pre-match interview that the 33-year old would not be involved due to the deal that was made to see him switch clubs weeks earlier, saying, "this game he wouldn’t be allowed to play.
"If we needed to get the player — which we did — we had to agree to that."
Such a decision is prohibited by Premier League regulation which says, "No club shall enter into a contract which enables another party to that contract to acquire the ability materially to influence its policies or the performance of its teams in league matches."
Allardyce was asked about the decision after the game, telling BT Sport, "I'm not going to answer that.
"We've certainly got to do what I've been saying ever since I got here, we've got to stop letting goals in."
West Brom manager Sam Allardyce bemoaned his side's lapses in concentration at the back in a spirited 2-1 defeat vs. West Ham.
🎙 @ReshminTV pic.twitter.com/6VmPrbHZ5V— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) January 19, 2021
"If the Premier League want to know about it they can contact us privately and we'll tell them."
The Premier League are investigating the matter.
To compound matters, West Brom ended the night five points from safety, having played two games more than the two sides directly above them in the table.
Goals from Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio gave the Hammers all three points at the London Stadium to move them within two-points of fourth placed Liverpool.
PAUL MURPHY | Retiring from the Cats, working under Brian Cody and the great Tipp qualifier of 2013
