West Ham’s Nuno Espirito Santo is calling for clarification on what constitutes a foul

West Ham Head coach Nuno Espirito Santo has called for clarity on what constitutes a foul at set-pieces, warning that current levels of clashing and blocking are “almost crazy”.

The Hammers boss became the latest Premier League boss to comment on the issue as he invited refereeing officials to visit clubs and explain to players “what’s wrong, what’s the communication, how far can you go… because we see things that are not normal”.

Speaking ahead of Monday’s FA Cup tie against Brentford, Nuno revealed he had raised his concerns with Howard Webb, chairman of the refereeing body Professional Match Officials Limited (PGMOL).

Nuno told reporters: “What the referee has allowed now, and what is happening with free kicks, is almost crazy.”

“I think they should review it. I can see a lot of it is fouls – tackles, tackles, tackles, blocks.

“A lot of things happen. Some of them are legal, some of them are okay, but most of them are communications that go way beyond what is allowed in football.”

Earlier this month, Liverpool manager Arne Slott said an increased focus on free kicks meant Premier League matches were no longer “a joy to watch”, with leaders Arsenal at the forefront of discussions about corner kicks.

Everton boss David Moyes has described Mikel Arteta’s side as pioneers in the use of the ‘dark arts’.