Stoke City Captain Ryan Shawcross Criticises 'Childish' Jese Rodriguez Following Penalty Incident
Stoke City captain Ryan Shawcross has branded teammate Jese Rodriguez's reaction towards not been given the chance to take the penalty he earned against Brighton as 'childish'.
The incident occurred during the Potters 1-1 draw on Saturday against the Seagulls when Stoke were awarded what seemed a soft penalty when Dale Stephens was adjudged to have brought down Jese in the box.
The ex-Real Madrid man went to retrieve the ball to take the penalty, but midfielder Charlie Adam took the ball and subsequently stepped up to take the spot kick. Jese was visibly upset by not being given the chance to take the penalty, and had to be ushered away from the Brighton box by his teammates.
Speaking after the game, Shawcross spoke about the incident and claimed that the actions of Jese were 'childish', as reported by the Mirror.
“There seems to be some confusion over who takes the penalties,” he said tersely. “The gaffer has told us in no uncertain terms, it won’t happen again.
“It’s difficult in those circumstances, but we are professional athletes and it’s a bit childish, to be honest.”
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Left-back Eric Pieters also claimed that the Spaniard took it too far but claimed that the emotion he showed is just 'part of the game', as quoted by the Stoke Sentinel.
“It’s gone a little bit too far, but in my opinion emotion is part of the game. Everyone works hard, everyone wants to be that hero."
The Potters have a two week break due to the FA Cup and next up for them is a trip to the King Power to face Leicester City, who themselves have seen a few childish acts in recent weeks.
