Home » Sports » FA Cup quarter-final: Van Gaal accuses West Ham's Payet of diving
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic has defended Dimitri Payet after the influential midfielder was accused of diving by Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal during Sunday's 1-1 FA Cup draw.
Referee Martin Atkinson turned down West Ham's penalty claims after Payet went down in the box under a 66th minute challenge from defender Marcos Rojo.
"Payet was, more or less, diving," Van Gaal told reporters after the quarter-final at Old Trafford.
"Of course, he was maybe touched but not to fall like that,"
Bilic said Payet, who later scored with a brilliant free kick, should have been awarded a penalty.
"Come on. If you have a screen, show me.... There is more than a contact. It is definitely not a dive," the Croatian said.
"Nobody in the world can say there wasn't a touch. Then if it was a touch, and it is more than a touch, it is a penalty. When you are sliding in the box from behind, I am not saying it was nasty, but it was mistimed.
"Rojo slides and when you are sliding in the box and the ball is nowhere near you, you are taking a big gamble and a big risk. It is a penalty."
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