Ex-Leeds striker Noel Whelan has ripped into Jetro Willems after the Newcastle United player appeared to dive in a bid to win a penalty in the loss against Leicester in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night.
Willems, 25, played a strange role in Yoshinori Muto’s second-half goal against the Foxes because as the ball came into the box, the Dutchman flung himself to the ground in the most theatrical of fashion.
Muto slotted the ball into the net just moments after Willems’ apparent dive and BBC Radio Leeds pundit Whelan has called on Newcastle to fine their summer signing for what he did.
“These are the things you look back and you should be embarrassed about as a professional. No one wants to see that. It’s cheating. It’s as simple as that. It’s embarrassing, it’s cheating and it’s bringing the game into disrepute,” Whelan told Football Insider.
“He should be fined by the club. Instead of other people bringing it to light, questioning and analysing it, how about the club do something about it? How about they look at it and fine him, because really it shouldn’t be down to us.
“This way it shows him you can’t do things like this in the Premier League, there’s no place for it.”
OPINION
Darren Bent made a good point on EFL on Quest on Wednesday night after Newcastle lost in their penalty shoot-out against Leicester. Bent claimed that the goal should not have been awarded because the referee should have blown up for Willems’ dive. He’s right. It was an embarrassing attempt to win a penalty by Willems. He flung himself up into the air, threw his arms back and arched his back in the most pathetic of manners. Unfortunately, for the good of the game, nothing will be done about the incident retrospectively because Willems failed to con the referee but the FA need to start clamping down on this and as Whelan says, clubs also need to make an effort. Steve Bruce does not seem like the type of manager who will be happy with Willems’ theatrics and will no doubt have had a word in his ear since the Leicester defeat. Hopefully we do not see it again, especially if it means that a goal is going to be ruled out.
