Stoke City chairman Peter Coates is fending off angry reaction to Ricardo Fuller's red card incident on Sunday and insists that the Jamaican forward is an integral part of his plans for the remainder of the season.

Fuller hit the headlines this past weekend when he was shown a red card for hitting his own captain Andy Griffin in a heated exchange during Stoke City's 2-1 loss to West Ham in the English Premier league.

"He is a very important player for Stoke and will be important for the second half of the season. But it is our affair and we will deal with it in our own way," Coates told reporters.

Stoke currently sit 18th in the Premier League, just inside the relegation zone.

The chairman also scoffed at calls for the 29-year-old to be sacked over the embarra**ing incident and firmly rejected reports that they are prepared to transfer him.

"There have been no discussions about selling Ricardo Fuller. He is such an important player for us, we want to strengthen the team rather than sell our best players," Coates said in the BBC story.

Stories linking Fuller to a move to Everton drew a negative response from Coates.

"If Everton are keen, it's news to me," he said.

Lashed out

Fuller, who originally came to Britain in 2001 to play for Hearts in Scotland, also played in England for Preston North End, Ports-mouth, Southampton and Ipswich Town before joining Stoke City for a fee of around £500,000 in 2006.

Fuller was sent off Sunday by referee Michael Jones when he lashed out at his captain after the two became embroiled in a heated exchange over an equaliser by the Hammers at Upton Park.

The clash escalated into a pushing and shoving match and resulted in Fuller hitting Griffin in the head.

Cause of fight

The incident had started when an incensed Fuller confronted Griffin supposedly about how he allowed West Ham's Carlton Cole to get past him to score in the 51st minute, wiping out Abdoulaye Faye's fourth-minute header that had given Stoke the lead.

Coates was unhappy that Fuller's 53rd-minute red card contributed to the team's loss since West Ham got the winning goal as late as the 87th minute.

He also suggested he expects better conduct from his players but added that Stoke can overcome the setback.

"I am disappointed that it happened. It influenced the game and we could have got something out of the game. People have to learn to control themselves.

"We can recover from this. The team spirit at Stoke is good and will remain good," he added.

There is speculation that Fuller faces additional disciplinary action, probably a fine, on top of his three-match suspension.

Coates also questioned the referee's decision to eject Fuller from the game, although he accepted that his star forward acted very badly.

"We can't blame the referee for the incident because that's Ricardo's fault. But I've seen the incident on television, and although I know players shouldn't raise their hands, in the great scheme of things I don't think it deserved any special attention.

"I think the referee could have used his discretion and common sense and told the players to get on with the game," Coates added.