Former Premier League referee Jeff Winter has launched an extraordinary attack on Liverpool forwards Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota, accusing the pair of trying to “con the referee” against Everton and Fulham.
The pair were heavily involved in both games, with Jota scoring the winner for Liverpool in the Merseyside derby, while Diaz came off the bench to give the Reds hope of rescuing a point against Fulham, although it proved not to be enough.
Nevertheless, both players have raised the ire of Winter, with the pair first coming to his attention against Everton – a game where James Tarkowski’s horror tackle on Alexis Mac Allister was the main talking point.
Diaz then drew more attention against Fulham, with Liverpool having shouts for a penalty dismissed when the Colombian went down from a challenge by Joachim Andersen.
Discussing both games with Grosvenor Sport, Winter said: “In the Merseyside Derby, obviously we had that tackle, which I’ll come to, but when I was refereeing, I can categorically say that wouldn’t even have been a free kick. It was what you’d call a good old-fashioned challenge: he took the ball cleanly, and what happened after was almost incidental.
“Nowadays, with how the laws are interpreted, that’s most definitely a red card.
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“But what really struck me during that game was the behavior of Diaz and Jota. Maybe it’s more noticeable now because the cameras zoom in, but it seemed to be within earshot and line of sight of the assistant referee – all the gestures and ridiculing of decisions.
“Diaz then carried it on into the Fulham game, where he went down trying to win a penalty. There was minimal contact, the kind you just can’t avoid.
“There was the slightest touch on Diaz, and he threw himself to the floor like he was up for an Oscar. The referee wasn’t fooled. He didn’t give the penalty, but he didn’t caution him either.
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“And it’s one of those situations – if there’s some contact, referees seem to err on the side of caution. They think, ‘Well, there was minimal contact, so I won’t issue a yellow card because it wasn’t an outright dive.’
“But I think most football fans, when they see the way he went down, would agree, it was purely an attempt to con the referee.
“And it’s a bit silly when you think we’ve got VAR. If they ever do get their act together, and I say this with fingers crossed, you’d like to think these things will be picked up.
“That sort of thing might not infuriate Liverpool fans, but it will definitely infuriate neutral supporters and genuine fans. Nobody wants to see players going down trying to win something they’re not entitled to.”
