Bruce - Palacios no cheat

Latics boss defends midfielder after City penalty

Last updated: 3rd October 2008   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Bruce - Palacios no cheat

Palacios: Not a diver

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Wigan Athletic manager Steve Bruce insists Wilson Palacios is not a diver after the midfielder earned a contentious penalty against Manchester City.

Palacios went to ground in the box under a challenge from Javier Garrido during Wigan's 2-1 home win over City last weekend.

City were unhappy with the award of the spot-kick, but Bruce has defended the Honduran and is adamant that Palacios was not trying to cheat.

"When you watch Wilson play, he is as tough as old boots," said Bruce in the Daily Express. "He just tried to avoid the challenge coming in.

Skill

"If you see a tackle coming in and you leave your foot planted on the ground, you can get hurt. So you do try to ride it.

"There was contact and when I spoke to Emile Heskey, who was nearby, he said that everybody heard the contact.

"I certainly wouldn't accuse him of diving. I wouldn't have it at this club. I don't want to have a team made up of people who dive.

"With Palacios, the culture where he comes from means they don't really understand what all the kerfuffle is about.

"It is not seen as cheating in Central and South America - in their eyes, to draw the foul is a skill."