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| | Monday, 19 August, 2002, 10:05 GMT 11:05 UK Cole denies dive claim  Cole has been fiercely criticised by O'Leary Arsenal defender Ashley Cole has denied he dived in the incident that saw Birmingham City's Aliou Cisse sent off. The Senegal captain received his second booking of the game for the 74th-minute challenge. Television replays appeared to show that no contact was made, but Cole collapsed to the floor clutching his shin after catching Cisse on his follow-through. "I did not dive. I am not a cheat and I had never tried to get another player sent off. Never," he told London's Evening Standard newspaper. "The Birmingham player did make contact with me even if it was only slight. "I was hurt but I got up again as soon as I could. I didn't stay down for a long time or anything. "It could have been a lot worse had I not jumped to get out of the way of the challenge. But it is not me who decides what any punishment is. It is the referee," he said. Cole has been involved in previous accusations of diving and faking injury, notably last season in incidents involving Newcastle United's Craig Bellamy and Danny Mills, of Leeds United.
"Last year I got a reputation for diving and yet I know it is something I do not do. I would not fake it," he added. Referee Mike Riley has agreed to look at a video of the incident, which came with Arsenal already cruising to a 2-0 win thanks to early goals by Thierry Henry and Sylvain Wiltord. "Hopefully he may reverse his decision and Cisse will not be missing through suspension," said Birmingham manager Steve Bruce. Bruce said he did not blame Cole but said Cisse had "done nothing at all". And Cisse, who joined Birmingham from Montpellier for �4.5m in the close season, also defended Cole. "I do not blame Cole. He was only trying to get out of my way," he was quoted as saying in the Standard. | |
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