When Harry Kane went down in the box with Sokratis pleading innocence, it looked like Spurs were yet again going to win another penalty in the North London Derby, yet Martin Atkinson pointed for a free-kick to Arsenal.
It’s a scene we have seen time after time from the English striker where he breaks into the penalty area, and instead of trying to out-muscle the defender, brings his marker down with him in an attempt to win a penalty, diving to the ground.
Ask any non-Spurs fans about the incident on the weekend, they will tell you plain and straight that Kane dived in an attempt to win a penalty, yet some Tottenham supporters themselves and even some pundits can’t seem to see this.
Club icon Graham Roberts went one step further via talkSPORT and claimed that referees in the Premier League have an agenda against Spurs, hence why Kane wasn’t given a penalty against Arsenal (We will assume he missed the incident against Manchester City when Erik Lamela rugby tackled Rodri in the box and nothing was given for the hosts).
It’s easy to jump to the defence of star players in a team during cases like this, it’s part of what makes football supporters who they are, but trying to defend Kane’s actions against Arsenal over the weekend is a biased take that can cloud common sense.
Of course, the occasion of the game and the scoreline at the time are big factors as to why some believe Kane should have been given a penalty. After all, if your player goes down in the box in injury time with the score at 2-2 against your biggest rivals, wouldn’t you been riled up if no penalty was given?
Indeed, most fans will admit they were wrong after looking back at the incident and seeing what actually happened through unfiltered emotions, yet for some to still admit it was still a penalty and to go one step further and say that referees are conspiring against Spurs is a bridge too far.
There’s no doubt that Kane, who scored 17 goals and assisted 4 in the Premier League last season as numbers from Transfermarkt show, is one of the best strikers in world football, but his reputation can be tarnished if he doesn’t sort out this diving problem he seems to have developed, and fans and pundits admitting he did nothing wrong won’t help him any time sooner.