Liverpool forward Luis Suarez has insisted that he is not a dive cheat.
The 25-year-old has been accused of frequently going to ground too easily in an attempt to con referees into awarding free kicks and penalties in his favour.
However, Suarez claims that his motive is to protect himself from injury, rather than to fool officials.
"Sometimes you're standing there and someone comes flying in, so you move your leg out of the way or you go to ground because you're scared of getting hit," he told the Daily Mail.
"If I leave my leg there so the referee can see it's a foul, I risk suffering a big injury.
"That's why sometimes your instinct tells you to go to ground. It's a split-second instinct, not a conscious decision you make on the pitch. Of course, I don't want people to go around saying 'this guy just dives'."
Suarez has scored 14 goals for the Reds in 24 appearances this season.
Robert Summerscales
