Roy Hodgson says he didn't dive. Phil Neville also agreed with the England manager. But it fell to Kevin Kilbane to come out on the side that Wayne Rooney dived to win a penalty at Preston North End in the FA Cup.
Tonight, the former Ireland man reiterated his stance on Off The Ball: "It's a clear dive. Regardless of what you think of the state of the game, the penalty shouldn't have been given - plain and simple as far as I can see."
Much of the debate has centered on whether Rooney was trying to avoid the challenge of the Preston goalkeeper. Although he believes it would have been a penalty if Rooney had not dived, Kilbane feels there is a distinction in this case when it comes to the wider debate.
"I've seen players in full flight trying to get out of the way of a challenge. Of course, it's a foul. But Wayne Rooney knocks the ball past and throws himself over. Because he's moving that quick, he tries to kick his leg into [Thorsten] Stuckmann the keeper. But because he's beyond him, he's actually just kicking the floor, so it makes it even more ridiculous and even more prominent. The bare fact is he dived, cheated and conned the referee."
Highlighting recent incidents involving Ashley Young and Gary Cahill, Kilbane also feels that there is less said about diving offences when it involves a British player, rather than someone from overseas.
"When Suarez did it, there was a massive uproar," he said. "It's actually becoming more prominent with English or British players in the English Premier League."
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