Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho has aimed a sly dig in the direction of Mohamed Salah, defending Harry Kane at the same time.
The topic of diving has been in the headlines in recent days, with both Salah and Kane at the centre of controversy. The Liverpool man was accused of going to ground too easily against West Ham, winning and scoring a penalty at Anfield.
On the flip side, not much was said about Kane winning a more dubious spot-kick in Spurs’ win over Brighton, not to mention clearly diving later in the game.
Speaking to the press today, Mourinho was predictably on Kane’s side, saying he was fouled and that others deserved to be scrutinised more:
You are confused because you could be speaking about some Manchester United players, you could be speaking about some Manchester City players, you could be speaking about some Liverpool players, you could be speaking about some Chelsea players.
And you are speaking about Harry Kane? Who was in a position to control the ball in a dangerous position and Lallana comes with a very reckless action and committed a foul.
Why are you speaking about being clever or not being clever? Being clever is to hold the ball, and shoot and score. It was a foul.
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This is typical Mourinho, deflecting attention away from his own player and hoping a rival individual is taken down instead.
Anyone who saw Arthur Masuaku’s kick on Salah last weekend can see it was a blatant foul – yes, Salah could have stayed on his feet, but he had every right to go down.
Kane is just as savvy at winning penalties, backing into opponents and then making the most of contact that is made, as are the likes of Raheem Sterling and Jamie Vardy.
I think it is clear that there is an English bias in the media, as highlighted by the lack of focus on Kane, particularly in comparison to Salah.