Daniel Taylor 

Manchester United censor Phil Jones comments on Charlie Adam ‘dive’

Manchester United censored Phil Jones' comments on Charlie Adam's involvement in Liverpool's goal against them, deeming them 'too inflammatory' to be shown on MUTV
  
  

Phil Jones
Manchester United's Phil Jones tussles with Liverpool's Charlie Adam. Photograph: Andrew Yates/AFP/Getty Images Photograph: Andrew Yates/AFP/Getty Images

Charlie Adam's involvement in Liverpool's goal during Saturday's 1-1 draw prompted so much anger among Sir Alex Ferguson's players that Manchester United had to censor a television interview with Phil Jones.

Jones accused the Scottish midfielder of deliberately diving to win the free-kick from which Steven Gerrard scored. The former Blackburn Rovers player did not hold back in his criticisms and MUTV, United's in-house television channel, took instructions from senior Old Trafford officials before deciding Jones's comments were too inflammatory to be shown.

Although Rio Ferdinand admitted he had made "the slightest contact" on Adam, United were incensed about the way the player went to ground, believing it to be a deliberate attempt to dupe the referee, Andre Marriner.

Ferguson, who later accused Luis Suárez of "diving all over the place", described it as "a very soft award", but Jones went even further with his own criticisms, telling MUTV that Adams had been guilty of a blatant dive.

However, MUTV, who infamously once pulled a show involving Roy Keane because he had been so outspoken against his own team-mates, had edited out the relevant section when Jones's interview was shown on Saturday night.

Adam, informed of United's complaints, denied he had made the most of the challenge. "Well, everyone has an opinion," the former Blackpool player said. "I felt a touch and if I hadn't gone down I would have been clear through on goal so there must have been contact. That's the way I look at it. I felt contact when I went past Rio and that's the way it goes."

He added: "I'm not that type of player. I'm not just going to go down easily. It was a foul and that is why the referee gave it."

Ferdinand had already been booked and was fortunate once the free-kick was awarded that Marriner did not show a second yellow card. The defender said: "There was the slightest contact but I don't think enough to make a fella who is 12, 13 stone fall on the floor like that, but that's the way the game is today."

 

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