I’ll tell my players to dive in future – Iraola
Andoni Iraola said he would tell his players to go down when pulled in the penalty area, after Alexander Isak was not awarded a penalty in Liverpool’s defeat by Arsenal. Iraola argued that Jurrien Timber’s shirt pull stopped Isak reaching a cross and that the incident showed players may not be rewarded if they stay on their feet.
Liverpool were trailing 1-0 after Kai Havertz scored when the incident happened. Referee Andy Madley allowed play to continue, and VAR official Stuart Attwell judged the contact insufficient to overturn that decision; the explanation was that the tug was slight rather than sustained. Former assistant referee Darren Cann said the call was close, while Liverpool also had a penalty appeal for Cody Gakpo waved away. The defeat left Liverpool without a shot on target.
In short
- Iraola says he will tell players to go down after shirt pulls.
- Isak stayed up after Timber pulled his shirt in the area.
- VAR judged the contact too slight to award a penalty.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Iraola’s argument is that a shirt pull can impede an attacker even when it is brief, and players who try to stay upright may lose a genuine chance without receiving protection from officials. If referees are more likely to notice a foul when its effect is made visible, advising players to go down could be a pragmatic response to inconsistent enforcement and help secure fair decisions.
The case against
Officials must distinguish contact that genuinely prevents a player reaching the ball from incidental or insufficient contact, and the decision here was that the tug did not meet that threshold. Encouraging players to go down risks rewarding exaggeration, making close calls harder to judge and weakening trust in the game; the better remedy, this view holds, is consistent officiating rather than adapting players’ behaviour to perceived incentives.
Explained simply
Andoni Iraola is the manager of Bournemouth, while Alexander Isak plays for Liverpool. In football, a penalty can be awarded when a defending player commits a foul inside their own penalty area; referees can also review a decision using video assistant refereeing, known as VAR.
In this incident, Liverpool appealed for a penalty after Isak and Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber tussled as a cross came into the area. The referee and VAR did not award one, with the contact judged too slight to change the on-field decision. Such calls can turn on how much a player is impeded and whether the contact is considered a foul.