Liverpool forward Mo Salah has been in the limelight during the past couple of games for his theatrical performances off the ball.
The player has been accused multiple times of going down too easily and more often than not it has been inside the penalty box.
And now it looks like the footballing world is slowly turning against the Egyptian.
Mo Salah has been receiving some harsh remarks for his diving skills but former referee Mark Clattenburg has revealed that the on-field referees know more often than not when Mo Salah is tried to earn a cheap decision.
“One thing I have noticed is that when Salah goes down to try to win penalties, his hands go above his head,” he wrote for The Daily Mail.
“This is what officials look for when trying to see if a player has simulated. Usually, if you are knocked over, you put your hands straight out to break your fall.
“Until the introduction of VAR, if a player simulates, a suspension should follow – irrespective of the referee’s decision.”
Former referee Mark Halsey has also warned Mo Salah of using such tactics fearing that Liverpool might be robbed of a genuine decision due to such playacting.
“My worry for Salah moving forward is that his actions are starting to place doubt into match officials’ minds and he may not get a decision he deserves when it really matters,” Mark Halsey wrote in his column in The Sun.
“Referees don’t want to be fooled and this disease needs to be eradicated from the game.
“It doesn’t matter whether it’s Salah, Harry Kane or Jamie Vardy, who have all been guilty of this offence recently. We need to cut simulation out.”
The Egyptian is without a doubt the mantlepiece in the Liverpool attacking lineup scoring 19 goals in 31 games for the Anfield outfit this season.
But Mo Salah needs to get his act straight or else the team could pay the eventual penalty for his antics.
