Celtic beat Motherwell 2-0 in the Scottish League Cup final on Sunday, with the aid of a controversial penalty.
Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton told BT Sport that he felt Scott Sinclair dived to win a penalty in their 2-0 Scottish League Cup final victory over Motherwell on Sunday.
The Bhoys lifted their fourth successive piece of domestic silverware under Brendan Rodgers thanks to goals from James Forrest and Moussa Dembele at Hampden Park.
However, Celtic’s second goal was clouded in controversy as referee Craig Thomson awarded a penalty and sent off Motherwell’s Cedric Kipre for a soft tackle on Sinclair.
Dembele rolled in the 60th-minute spot kick to all but seal Celtic’s triumph, but Sutton was critical of Sinclair’s theatrics, and the overall performance of referee Thomson.
The Scottish Sun quote Sutton as telling BT Sport at full time: “He [Sinclair] deceives Craig Thomson, who gives the penalty and gets it wrong. But he’s got a lot wrong today.
“It’s a disease that’s blighting our game. It’s the modern game though.”
Diving has been very topical in recent weeks, with Everton forward Oumar Niasse becoming the first Premier League player to be banned for the “successful deception of a match official”.
The Scottish Football Association set the precedent for this type of ruling by bringing in retrospective action to punish simulation in 2011, so it remains to be seen if Sinclair faces a charge.
Not that it will matter much to victims Motherwell, at this point.
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