• Midfielder sent off in Hull’s 1-0 defeat at Blackburn
• Boateng avoids three-match ban with successful appeal

The Hull City midfielder George Boateng today succeeded in an appeal against his dismissal at Blackburn Rovers and his three-match ban has been withdrawn.

The Football Association announced the verdict, which was determined at an independent regulatory commission hearing.

Boateng, 34, was dismissed in Wednesday’s match at Ewood Park after the match referee, Lee Probert, determined his challenge on Morten Gamst Pedersen merited a straight red card.

The Hull manager Phil Brown criticised the dismissal after the match, which the visitors lost 1-0, saying: “To say it is a nonsense is an understatement. It is clearly a clash of heads and a brave challenge by both players.”

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• 32-year-old arrives at Upton Park for an undisclosed fee
• Relief for Zola after Gudjohnsen deal fell through

West Ham United have today completed the signing of Benni McCarthy from Blackburn Rovers for an undisclosed fee.

The South African striker has signed an 18-month deal at Upton Park after passing a medical and being granted a work permit.

McCarthy has scored four goals in 16 appearances for Blackburn this season but has spent most of the campaign on the bench.

The 32-year-old’s arrival will be a source of relief for the West Ham manager, Gianfranco Zola, after he missed out on Eidur Gudjohnsen. The Icelandic striker, a former team-mate of Zola’s at Chelsea, had agreed to join West Ham on loan from Monaco, and passed a medical there, before changing his mind and signing for Tottenham Hotspur instead.

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