Manuel Lanzini charged by FA over dive to win penalty at Stoke

The 24-year-old Argentine went down when challenged by Erik Pieters and West Ham captain Mark Noble converted from the spot to give the visitors a 1-0 lead

Matt Slater
Monday 18 December 2017 15:05 GMT
Comments
There were whispers Liverpool wanted to sign Lanzini
There were whispers Liverpool wanted to sign Lanzini (Getty)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

West Ham's Manuel Lanzini has been charged for diving to win a penalty against Stoke on Saturday, the Football Association has announced.

The 24-year-old Argentine went down when challenged by Erik Pieters and West Ham captain Mark Noble converted from the spot to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.

The decision infuriated Stoke manager Mark Hughes, who is now under even more pressure following the 3-0 home defeat.

Lanzini has until 6pm on Tuesday to respond to the charge, which is officially known as the "successful deception of a match official" - in this case referee Graham Scott.

New this season, a simulation charge only comes when there is clear evidence a player has fooled an official into winning a penalty or getting an opponent sent off, either via a straight red card or second yellow.

Decisions are made, on a fast-track basis, by a panel comprised of one ex-official, one ex-manager and one ex-player - all three review the video footage independently and a charge follows only when they are unanimous.

If the charge is accepted or upheld by an independent commission, the guilty player receives a two-match ban and any cards involved are rescinded.

Last month, Everton striker Oumar Niasse was banned for diving to win a penalty in his side's 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace.

In Monday's Daily Mail, ex-referee Graham Poll wrote that he thought Lanzini would avoid a charge, describing it as "a bit of a dive but not an outrageous" one.

"I'm sorry if that doesn't make sense but that's how hard it is to referee players such as Manuel Lanzini," Poll added.

Manuel Lanzini in action against Stoke at the weekend
Manuel Lanzini in action against Stoke at the weekend (Getty)

Speaking to reporters after Saturday's game, Hughes said: "I've seen it again. The guy's dived. He's drawn the challenge. He's a clever player.

"It was clearly a dive and the ref's seen something that no-one else saw. All in all, it was a poor sequence of events for him and for us.

"It sounds like sour grapes when you talk about people getting punished retrospectively. It doesn't help us now."

PA

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in