Sunderland manager Steve Bruce and his captain Lorik Cana have criticised the reaction of West Ham United’s Herita Llunga, after the defender theatrically fell to the ground following an altercation with Kenwyne Jones. Cana suggests Jones’ red card was more to do with Llunga’s reaction rather than the initial offence, for which the striker will have to serve a three game ban. Jones was dismissed during the 2-2 draw in the Premier League on Saturday after he pushed the West Ham player in the chest.
Cana told the club’s official website: “He didn't really want to hurt him, he just pushed him a little bit,”
“It was the reaction of the opponent which got him the red card. It should have been a booking, but he made a lot of cinema out of it.”
He added: “We must learn to be a little bit more experienced in these situations.”
Jones' manager Steve Bruce suggested he would punish the player, although he echoed the sentiments of his captain by saying: “Kenwyne was wrong, I can't defend him. He's pushed him. That's all it is.”
“Then I see the play-acting and then the medical people running on with an ice pack on an eye injury as if he's got a cut eye and there's nothing there. It's all just a ploy.”
“I think there was Big Sam's (Sam Allardyce) quote in the week that if we're not careful we're going to turn it into a game for pansies.”
“The referee has got a decision to make but I have to say Ilunga's play-acting left a lot to be desired.”
“Whoever it was with the ice swab; he pulled it away and I was looking for a big gash of an inch and a half, I was looking to see if there was a bump. There wasn't even a bruise.”
“The one thing that we don't want to see is what goes on around the world, all this diving nonsense. We want to see a spectacle and we got one, but let's not take away what everybody wants to see.”
“They don't want to see this play-acting and trying to kid everybody.”
“He pushed him in the chest. To go on like Ilunga's gone down, I would have been embarrassed.”
“I would have smacked my kids' backsides if they had have done anything like that when they were playing football.”