Salah blamed for Kane’s diving – how it sums up the behaviour of the media

Andy Gray’s attempts to deflect attention away from Harry Kane and onto Mohamed Salah sum up everything wrong with the British media.

Kane dived in the last minute of Sunday’s 2-2 draw between Arsenal and Tottenham at the Emirates, with no penalty awarded.

Such is his standing as England’s golden boy, however, barely anything was made of it after game, with Sky Sports horribly culpable in that respect.

Incredibly, Gray brought Salah into the debate during a stint on beIN SPORTS, saying he has won soft penalties for Liverpool, when it had nothing to do with him:

"Mo Salah in the last year must have had 3 or 4 penalties that were much, much softer than that."

Andy Gray on Harry Kane's penalty shout. #beINPL #ARSTOT #LFC pic.twitter.com/1adYSlTNZe

— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS_EN) September 1, 2019

My Verdict

Hearing Gray spout nonsense every week, as well as sidekick Richard Keys, is no great surprise, but this is everything wrong about the way certain players are labelled in the modern game.

Kane is apparently a “top striker” because he knows how to win cheap penalties, but when Salah does the same, he is torn to shreds for being a cheat.

Gray isn’t alone in this – beIN SPORTS aren’t even strictly English media – with broadcasters and newspapers across the country guilty of treating individuals differently.

Kane and Salah have both gone down cheaply and won penalties before – you either lambast both or you credit them for being savvy.

The England striker’s latest incident has been swept completely under the carpet – imagine Salah doing the same in the last minute of the Merseyside derby, would he be given a free pass? I think not!