Roy Hodgson 'sympathises' with Jamie Vardy over dive claims

England manager Roy Hodgson has defended Jamie Vardy amid claims that the Leicester City striker dived when earning a red card in Sunday's meeting with West Ham United.

The incident, which occurred 56 minutes into the match at the King Power Stadium, could see the 29-year-old banned for two matches due to his improper conduct prior to leaving the field of play.

Vardy is deemed to have dived after tangling with West Ham defender Angelo Ogbonna in the penalty area, but Hodgson has a different view of the matter and suggests that the Three Lions international was "very unlucky" to be dismissed.

"Vardy got sent off at the weekend but again, I will go out on a limb - I don't see that as a dive," he is quoted as saying by The Telegraph. "I don't think it was a penalty either. I think he was unbalanced, running at that speed.

"There was a very slight contact with the defender, who was trying to cover. [Vardy] went down because he was unbalanced. I don't think he was trying to dive.

"But, of course, all the pundits I hear say he was trying to dive, 'look how he dived'. I wouldn't blame him for that. I sympathise with him. He was very, very unlucky."

Vardy, who won his sixth cap for England last month, has until 6pm on April 21 to respond to the charges put to him by the Football Association.