3:53PM BST 15 Oct 2012
Koscielny, the
Suárez was described as “embarrassing” by
Fifa vice-president Jim Boyce then waded into the debate by arguing that players who dive should be punished retrospectively and that simulation was a cancer in the game.
Brendan Rodgers, the
Speaking to L'Equipe, Koscielny said:: “Who is the forward I hate to face? Suárez. He is tiresome to defend against. He cheats. He pulls your shirt, giving small blows.
“You always want to give him a kick but you have to be careful not to be red-carded. For example, on Sept 2 against Liverpool, it was the case with Luis Suárez.
“He is a player who likes to dive as soon as there is contact. During a challenge we jostled a bit with each other and he fell. He started to talk to me in English, to say it was a penalty.”
Liverpool have constantly defended Suárez, despite a string of high-profile incidents, and team-mates Steven Gerrard and Glen Johnson both claimed last month that referees were refusing to award penalties because of his reputation.
Suárez is due to face Bolivia on Tuesday in a World Cup 2014 qualifier and will not return to England until later this week.
The Uruguayan Football Association is believed to have contacted Fifa to demand an apology after Boyce’s comments, though Suárez said his conscience was clean.
