Premier League club launch complaint to FIFA after player didn't turn up for match

West Ham United have submitted an official complaint to FIFA following their defeat in the FA Cup quarter-final tie against Leeds United.

Following a blockbuster clash at the London Stadium, West Ham narrowly missed out on the chance to make the the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time in 20 years last week.

The Hammers fought back from being 2-0 down to Leeds United, taking the match to extra-time and eventually penalties, with the visitors securing a 4-2 win in the shootout.

With West Ham at a serious risk of being relegated from the Premier League this season, the quarter-final clash offered a chance to give fans something to look forward to, making the nature of the loss even more devastating.

And it appears that this fact isn't lost on West Ham as the London club has submitted a complaint to FIFA regarding the availability of Aaron Wan-Bissaka ahead of the match.

According to The Athletic, West Ham have claimed that DR Congo did not sanction the defender's release to return to his club ahead of the FA Cup clash.

Wan-Bissaka was not a part of The Hammers' squad for the loss to Leeds United, having helped DR Congo qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1974 during the international break.

The 28-year-old started for the African nation during their 1-0 win over Jamaica in the intercontinental playoff final in Mexico.

Following the win, the DR Congo team travelled to the country's capital Kinshasa to celebrate the win with president Felix Tshisekedi, but West Ham did not grant Wan-Bissaka permission to stay in for the celebrations.

Instead, the club scheduled a flight back to London to ensure he would be available to take part in the FA Cup fixture, but the defender did not show up.

Wan-Bissaka helped DR Congo qualify for the World Cup with their 1-0 win over Jamaica. (Image: Luis Cano/Jam Media/Getty Images)

Kyle Walker-Peters replaced Wan-Bissaka at right-back against Leeds, with the DR Congo star expected to return to the lineup for the must-win Premier League clash against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday.

As it stands, West Ham remain in the relegation zone, but with just one point separating them and 17th-place Tottenham Hotspur, they could send their London rivals into the bottom three for the first time with a win over Wolves.

SPORTbible have reached out to FIFA for comment.