Stuart Pearce has criticised Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori for what he described as a “pathetic dive” during the Gunners' 3-0 Community Shield victory over Manchester City on Sunday.
Calafiori's moment of controversy
With Arsenal leading 1-0, Calafiori went down in the box after challenging Abdukodir Khusanov for the ball, with Arsenal fans appealing for a penalty. Referee Samuel Barrott instead booked the Italian for simulation, with replays showing a clear dive.
Pearce, on commentary duty for talkSPORT, was outraged: “Well, Khusanov went down very early, kept his feet away from it. And it was nothing more than a pathetic dive, it really was. Listen, if I was Calafiori and you look at the referee and you claim it’s a penalty, I’d give him a double yellow for that and get him off. If you’re going to outlaw diving in the game… that was pathetic.”
Arsenal's statement win
Calafiori had opened the scoring after just 23 seconds, with Kai Havertz doubling the lead and captain Martin Odegaard adding a third shortly after the break. The win marked a strong start for new City manager Enzo Maresca, who was humiliated on his debut.
Calafiori told TNT Sports: “It was such an important game and an important test for us. It was to show our mentality after last season. Amazing. It helps the team a lot when you score that early. I try always to give a solution to my team-mates. The pass was unbelievable. Myles gave me the perfect ball. It’s 70% him and 30% me. Christos was one of the best players on the pitch today. It’s close to perfection this kind of performance.”
Looking ahead
Arsenal now prepare to begin their Premier League title defence on Friday against Championship champions Coventry City.
