Marouane Chamakh fends off diving criticism
Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh has insisted he did not dive to earn a penalty against Birmingham City on Saturday, 16 October.
Arsene Wenger's team earned a hard-fought 2–1 victory at the Emirates Stadium, courtesy of a second-half strike from Chamakh and Samir Nasri's penalty, four minutes before the interval.
After the game, the talk surrounding Chamakh's contribution did not focus on his third goal in the Premier League, but rather in the way in which he earned his team a penalty in the 41st minute.
The Birmingham players and several commentators judged the Moroccan to have tumbled too easily from Scott Dann's challenge in the box, but the striker has said that his fall was not a dive.
"There was definitely a contact - the Birmingham defender touched me and then it was all about the ref, to give it or not," Chamakh told
The Mirror.
"If they think it is not a penalty then they can be disappointed, but for me I was definitely touched and I fell...otherwise, I wouldn’t have fallen down in the area. If they believe it was not a foul and they were one-nil up...then its normal that they
will feel disappointed now. But for me it was definitely a penalty."
The Arsenal striker has won his team four penalty kicks this season. While his bursts into the box are plenty for any defence to handle, his susceptibility to fouls has been subject to criticism in light of the physical nature of English football.
Chamakh, who is enjoying the start of his first season at the London club, added that his team still has a chance of winning the Premier League.
"I still believe we can do it - when you see the way we are playing and the team we have, it’s not a problem, but it will not all depend on us."
Arsenal is currently third in the league table, with 14 points from eight games.
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