Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has admitted deliberately going to ground in a bid to win a penalty against Stoke earlier this season. However, he insisted the criticism he received for his controversial recent goal against Mansfield was unjust, and also accused the press of using his name to sell newspapers. Not for the first time during his stint in England, Suarez came under fire after going down theatrically in the penalty area during October’s goalless Barclays Premier League draw at home to Stoke. Although no spot-kick was given, Potters boss Tony Pulis called the Uruguay forward “an embarrassment” after the match. Jim Boyce, Britain’s representative on FIFA, later described Suarez’s dive as “nothing less than cheating”, adding that simulation was a “cancer” in the game. Suarez has now admitted “falling” in an attempt to win a penalty, telling Fox Sports Argentina: “Football is like that. Sometimes you do things on the field that later you think ‘why the hell did I do that?’ “I was accused of falling inside the box in a match, and it’s true I did it that time, because we were drawing against Stoke at home and we needed anything to win it. “But after that everybody jumped out to talk – the Stoke coach, and the Everton coach… I understood that the name Suarez sells (papers).” Suarez was back in the spotlight recently following his handball in the build-up to his winning goal against Mansfield in the FA Cup third round. There were questions as to whether the 25-year-old handled the ball deliberately or if it was accidental. He said: “The other day a ball hit my hand with no intention at all, and everybody criticised me because I kissed my wrist. Suarez sells. “That’s why they also talk about Suarez having a chat in secret with (Sebastian) Coates in front of (Steven) Gerrard. They make up anything. Everybody should do what they have to do, to talk about football and not anything else.” Suarez also believes foreign players are treated differently in England. He said: “It’s tough. As Carlitos (Carlos Tevez) and Kun (Sergio Aguero) said, the foreigners, and even more the South Americans, receive different treatment than the local ones.
