Premier League notebook: West Ham probe racism allegation

West Ham United

English football's Kick It Out organisation has called for lifetime bans should allegations of racism at West Ham United last weekend be proven. The Hammers confirmed they are investigating claims that the families of players Victor Obinna and Frederic Piquionne were racially abused by a small group of spectators at Saturday's match against Manchester United. David Sullivan, the club co-chairman, admitted he was "appalled" by the alleged incident. Kick It Out spokesman Danny Lynch said: "We've always advocated a zero tolerance approach to any form of discrimination in the game. This sort of thing gives the perception that it sets us back and I think it masks all the hard work clubs like West Ham do."

Liverpool

Luis Suarez, the Liverpool striker, has revealed he has modelled his "never surrender" attitude on the former Argentina frontman Gabriel Batistuta. The Uruguay international has made a significant impact since his arrival from Ajax in January. He said he draws most of his inspiration from Argentina's all-time leading scorer. "Gabriel Batistuta reflects the bread and butter of the striker; what his soul must be," the 24-year-old told FourFourTwo. "I think I have that never-surrender attitude from him, because he never gave up."

Blackburn Rovers

Steve Kean, the Blackburn manager, has confirmed owners Venky's intend to take the club to India for a pre-season friendly in the summer. The Indian poultry firm took over at Ewood Park in December and their ownership has already drawn criticism from fans, who have seen their former manager Sam Allardyce and long-standing chairman John Williams depart. "We are probably going to play a game against [Brazilian side] Flamengo in India before moving on to Hong Kong for the Premier League Asia Trophy," Kean said. "It will probably be a 13 or 14-day trip. We just want to show other parts of the world who have not seen the team play, that is one of the main ideas of the owners, to expand in emerging markets."

Newcastle United

Hatem Ben Arfa, the Newcastle forward, has called for tougher punishments on dangerous tackles as he continues his recovery from the challenge by Nigel de Jong. The France international, 24, returned to training on Monday after being left with a double leg fracture in a tackle by the Manchester City midfielder last October. Ben Arfa has accepted a texted apology from De Jong - who escaped without a yellow card - but wants stricter measures in order to avoid a repeat. He told Canal Plus: "I do not want to come down on the referees, but we have to protect players a little more so if he wants to tackle like this again he thinks twice." Ben Arfa revealed he required emergency surgery to save his leg. Quoted in several newspapers, he said: "I needed a second operation because I had an infection. I was told that I could have had my leg cut off if they didn't operate on me very quickly."

Stoke City

Danny Higginbotham, the Stoke defender, faces up to six months on the sidelines after suffering a cruciate knee ligament injury. Stoke manager Tony Pulis told the Sentinel: "It's a rupture and I'm devastated for the kid. It's a big blow for the team because Danny had just come back into the side and was doing so well. Hopefully he will return to training by the back end of pre-season but it's hard to be precise right now."