Asmir Begovic: 'Stoke need protection from overboard tactics'
Goalkeeper frustrated following 1-1 draw with Everton
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Asmir Begovic, the Stoke City goalkeeper who was booked for criticising referee Mark Halsey's handling of the 1-1 draw with Everton, has accused some teams of "going overboard" with their tactics against his side.
Everton's Marouane Fellaini faces a retrospective ban for a head-butt on Stoke captain Ryan Shawcross at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday in what manager Tony Pulis claimed was the latest in a series of attacks on his players that have gone unpunished.
Stoke have a reputation for physicality, but Begovic – who received the game's only yellow card after repeatedly complaining about the Fellaini incident and others – says that does not justify the excessive force used by opponents.
"I was unhappy with what was going on with me, the holding, the shirt-pulling and everything else that wasn't really being dealt with," he said. "I made my point and I probably deserved a booking.
"Fellaini is a great player but I think it [the head-butt] was worthy of more punishment. It was frustrating in that there were a lot of missed or strange calls.
"People know they have to come here and compete with us, and sometimes they can go a bit overboard which is unfortunate. We like to compete but I don't think it's anything dirty to our game. We're a good strong side and that's all there is to it.".
David Moyes, Everton's manager, agreed Fellaini should have been sent off, prompting the Belgian to issue his apology. "There was a lot of pushing and pulling going on inside the Stoke penalty area and I didn't feel I was getting any protection from the officials," Fellaini said. "Nevertheless I know I shouldn't have done what I did. I lost my temper."
Fellaini now faces the prospect of a Football Association investigation and a lengthy ban. Shawcross' own goal put Everton ahead before Kenwyne Jones equalised to extend Stoke's unbeaten run to seven matches.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments