Barkley didn't dive, he just lost his balance - Martinez

  • by Staff Writer
  • Thursday, 27th November 2014

Everton boss Roberto Martinez had an Iraqi Minister for Information* moment earlier today when he insisted that midfielder Ross Barkley didn't actually dive in an attempt to hoodwink referee Mark Clattenburg against West Ham last Saturday.

Despite the evidence of his own eyes, the Spanish manager suggested - without a hint of irony - that the 20-year-old simply lost his balance as Kevin Nolan moved to within three feet of the unstable youngster.

Speaking in the Echo about the incident, Martinez said: "I don't think it is something he does often. The action on Saturday is an incident where he has got the ball, he's a little bit off balance, he can see a player and he's trying to get away from it.

"His reaction is not to stay on the ground and hoping the referee will blow the whistle. He got up quickly and it’s not even in the box, he’s not trying to get a big decision.

"You see him receive a lot of kicks because he protects the ball so well and is so strong that sometimes you try to get away from those contacts, but he is not trying to get a decision from the referee that he could give us a penalty or a real advantage."


The (Re)Definition of Diving: by Roberto Martinez

"I consider diving is when you’ve got a real intention to get a decision from a referee in areas where he could give you a penalty or a clear situation of getting someone in trouble. That was not the case at all and it has been blown out of all proportion."

* Muhammad Saeed al-Sahhaf was Saddam Hussein's propaganda minister during the 2003 Iraq War and continuously insisted that American troops were on the verge of surrender - even when US shells could be heard exploding in the background during live broadcasts.



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