Arsenal Forward Robin Van Persie Admits To Exaggerating Falls

“You sometimes have a little movement with your arms or with your body, but I don’t think that’s really cheating. It’s never my intention to dive, anyway. It is a bit tricky, I have to say, because I am against divers. It is just not honest. But it is difficult because, sometimes, like I had a little moment against Manchester United [in the 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford last month].

“For example, after the whole Eduardo thing, when I had the ball on the right side and I cut it back. [Patrice] Evra gave me a little push — a really little one — but it sort of outbalanced me. I just fell down and the whole stadium started to boo me. I was, like, ‘Come on, can’t you see he pushed me?’

“Some people don’t see these little pushes and they can give you a whole different picture to what the situation really is.

It doesn’t play on my mind, never, because I always have the intention not to dive. But sometimes you are out of balance, it looks a bit funny.”