Premier League boss sums up Nottingham Forest argument with ‘cheating’ claim

Ivan Toney of Brentford has come under fire from Sean Dyche for allegedly “cheating” during his free-kick antics against Nottingham Forest last month.

The Reds’ 3-2 loss at the Gtech Community Stadium left them furious. Danilo gave them the lead, but a contentious Toney goal pulled them back.

When the Bees player moved the ball for a free-kick and the foam that indicated where it should have been taken, he equalized and gained an edge. After being referred to as “clear ball displacement” by Forest head coach Nuno Espirito Santo, Everton manager Dyche has now commented on the matter.

The Times (via the Daily Star) quoted the former Forest young player as saying: “I don’t mind gamesmanship if a player is clipped and goes down. That has consistently occurred. However, how can someone fall victim to anything and not make any touch at all?

“How is it appropriate for a player to brush the head of another player and then collapse, seemingly from an attack? That is dishonesty in black and white.

It’s unfair to single out a single player because it occurs frequently, but allow me to provide one example. Ivan Toney scored a few weeks ago after moving the ball during a free kick when the referee was distracted.

“And what’s the deal? “Oh, that was clever; that was smart,” the experts exclaimed. He received praise. That right there is the problem with football. Because that is what they are hearing from the folks on TV, a billion children are watching and believing that cheating is smart.

Following the incident, Forest wrote to both the Premier League and the body that oversees referees, Professional Game Match Officials Board Limited (PGMOL). They were informed, meanwhile, that VAR lacked the authority to step in in this situation.

“I think that is something they should look at because it changes the reality of the game. But at the same time we also have responsibility because we should have said something and avoided the free-kick to be taken.

“Too bad that the referee didn’t spot it or the linesman. They just mentioned that in this moment the law says VAR cannot do anything about it. It is our responsibility also, but the referee should have seen it because there is a mark and there is clear ball displacement.”