El-Hadji Diouf has got to be one of the most despised men in football. He’s no stranger to spitting in players faces, diving and cheating. Allegations were recently made over assaulting his wife.
Today he confesses that he is a cheat. He says the best footballer is one who cheats, and that he dives in the area when his team are in need of a penalty.
“Sometimes I need to dive to have a penalty. It’s just football. The best footballer is very clever like that. Sometimes I dive because I move my foot before the guy comes in to break my leg. Sometimes I get a free-kick, sometimes I don’t. The problem is sometimes the referees are not very good with me, I’ve had penalties and not been given them.”
He doesn’t end there though, he goes on to accuse England’s golden boy, Wayne Rooney, of being a worse cheat than himself. “I’ve won some penalties like that (diving), but how many penalties has Rooney won and nothing is ever said about him? But it is when it’s me.”
There are some players in this country who are untouchable. It doesn’t matter if they dive or cheat, they get an easy ride from the media, as they are loved by the country. Players like John Terry and Steven Gerrard fit in to this category. Wayne Rooney is not one these players. The press love to build him up and rip him down. Diouf is going down the wrong path if he believes Rooney is a protected player.
The media slate Diouf, and rightly so. He is a self confessed cheat. Big Sam has stood by his player in the past, but how will he react to his player admitting he dives? If Diouf doesn’t think he’s been awarded enough penalties in the past, he certainly won’t be winning any now!