Hodgson launches stinging attack on Harry the Hornet over diving antics

Harry the Hornet dived on the pitch in front of Zaha after the Palace winger was booked for simulation during a 1-1 league draw at Watford on Boxing Day in 2016.

Hodgson launches stinging attack on Harry the Hornet over diving antics

(Reuters)





The Ivory Coast international claimed there was an "agenda" against him after being shown a yellow card for diving at the same venue in April this year. [nL3N1S029T]

"Zaha does not dive," Hodgson told reporters ahead of Sunday's trip to Watford.

"If you're asking me whether Harry the Hornet, who I presume is the mascot, should dive in that way, I think it's disgraceful, because that's not what football matches are about.

"And certainly if it's provoking the crowd into looking for something that's not there, it should be stopped."

After coming off the bench in Palace's 2-0 defeat by Liverpool, German midfielder Max Meyer is in contention for his first Premier League start this weekend.

Hodgson is excited by the potential of the 22-year-old, saying the club have found a player in a similar mould to Chelsea's N'Golo Kante, Liverpool's Naby Keita and Lucas Torreira at Arsenal.

"He (Meyer) is similar to a lot of the players that seem to be coming into the game at the top level here," Hodgson added.

"Kante was obviously one but we have now seen the Keitas, Torreiras and these type of players come that many years ago would have been considered too small, or not robust enough but their qualities mean they are more than big enough to play.

"I think we have signed a player who seems to be finding a position in many teams in the league."

Palace will be without defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka this weekend after the 20-year-old was sent off in Monday's 2-0 defeat by Liverpool.





(Reporting by Hardik Vyas in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Radnedge)


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: Reuters



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world