Celtic loan star addresses diving claims and says Airdire were denied clear penalties in Clyde draw
dailyrecord.co.ukAirdrie forward Jon Afolabi insists he is no diver after picking up a booking for simulation and being denied two penalties in their 1-1 draw with Clyde on Saturday.The Celtic loanee was incensed with referee Calum Scott when he flashed a yellow card his way early on in the contest when Clyde keeper Josh Bradley-Hurst appeared to bring him down in the box.And the 22-year-old's misery was compounded in the second half when he was denied another spot-kick claim for what he believed was an obstruction in the box.These were some of a number of penalties claims that didn't go for the Diamonds on Saturday, with Callum Fordyce seemingly wiped out by Clyde keeper Bradley-Hurst when he was trying to punch clear and Adam Frizzell twice going down in the box with no award.The costly slip-up saw Airdrie miss the chance to close the five-point gap on League One leaders Cove in the title race, after they drew 2-2 at Alloa, and Afolabi said: "It's very frustrating because the lads put a lot of hard work into the game and it was a good chance to close the gap on Cove above us."The decisions are very disappointing.
My job is just to get to the ball first. The goalkeeper was fully committed [on the first claim] and there was contact, he took me down."There was definitely contact and that's what took me down."The booking just made it even worse.
I asked the referee after the game about it and he said it was a clear simulation, it was a dive."But I had an open goal so you just wouldn't go down in that situation."I'm trying to get a shot off or get my body in a good positions.
Defenders aren't there to just stand still obviously, they are there to make contact. It's a physical sport, but sometimes there are obstructions."The one in the
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