Tottenham star Heung-min Son defended as Troy Deeney claims even REFEREES urge players to go down – ‘Hitting the floor is the only way to get decisions’

Tottenham forward Heung-min Son has been defended for his ‘conman’ theatrics against Manchester United, with talkSPORT told officials are the real problem.

Troy Deeney has said even referees encourage players to go down if they feel any contact, with former Spurs manager Tim Sherwood saying ‘you can’t blame’ Son for his actions.

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The South Korean forward has been widely criticised after he was seen collapsing to the turf and writhing around on the pitch holding his face after minimal and innocuous contact from Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay on Sunday.

His actions led to United striker Edindon Cavani having a goal ruled out after a VAR review, although the striker did later get his goal in a 3-1 win for the Red Devils in north London.

Son was accused of ‘conning’ the officials by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and the Man United boss prompted a strong reaction from Jose Mourinho when he said the Tottenham man ‘wouldn't get any food’ if he was his son, in a bizarre war of words.

But Watford striker Deeney says coaches tell their players to go down if they feel a touch and claims officials are the real problem, as they leave players with no other choice but to exaggerate contact on the pitch.

“You are told to [go down if there’s contact],” he said on Monday’s talkSPORT Breakfast.

“Managers tell you… refs will tell you. I’ll probably get in trouble for this, but oh well.

“If I get smashed and I don’t go down it’s like, ‘oh play on, you’re a big guy, you can look after yourself’.

“But if you do go down it’s like, ‘oh, it’s blatantly obvious so I can give that now’.

“They do it outside of the penalty area, it’s been happening for years, if someone goes down in the middle of the park it’s safe, blow the whistle, ‘I won’t get in trouble for that’.

“I would expect to be hammered and ridiculed if I went down like that. Not just by the fans but my friends as well.

“If it won us the game, though, it would be worth it. That’s always the argument. But morally is it right? Not for me.

“So I think the referee has to take a huge look at himself for that decision.”

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Former Spurs manager Sherwood admitted Son should be ‘embarrassed’ for his theatrical reaction to McTominay’s touch to his face.

But he admitted, like many coaches, he would be annoyed if one of his players stayed on their feet after feeling contact from an opponent - agreeing with Deeney that referees are the ones to blame for the diving problem.

Asked if he would tell his players to do what Son did, Sherwood added: “I think you have to.

“As much as you don’t want to, unless the officials are stronger and stamp it out…

“I’ve seen it in games where players have had contact on them and they’re entitled to hit the floor, but they try to stay on their feet instead and nothing is given!

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“Referees should look at that and realise they have been hampered. So I think referees have to be stronger on it.

“As a manager, if my team comes in, it’s 0-0 and one of my players stayed on their feet to try and score after getting contact in the box, I would be saying to them: ‘Why have you not hit the floor? Hit the floor!’

“Unfortunately, it’s just the only way we’re going to get decisions.

“I thought it was a little bit embarrassing for Son to go down like that but, you know what, I don’t necessarily blame him.

“The only way players are going to get decisions now is by hitting the floor, unfortunately. It’s up to the officials to make that decision and that’s the only deterrent to stop players throwing themselves on the floor screaming.

“In that game the referee’s been made up by the VAR, for me there’s no reason to look at it. He called it right on the field, it was never a foul and it was a great goal from Cavani.

“But because the VAR is telling the referee to look at the monitor, he’s obviously then looking for something to rule out the goal.

“Yes, there was contact, but not enough to rule out the goal. I think it was a disgrace.”