Alan Shearer has lambasted Ben White for his show of “play-acting” with Pervis Estupinian, an incident that elicited wild reactions from many across the globe.
In recent years, the use of football antics and professional fouls, including feigning injury to manipulate decisions, has added excitement to the game.
However, as cameras now capture every moment on the field, such actions have become increasingly criticized and scrutinized.
With the implementation of VAR (Video Assistant Referee), incidents are under constant scrutiny, particularly off-the-ball encounters or disputes between players.
Alan Shearer criticism of Ben White for “play-acting”, faking being hit by Jervis Estupinian
Shearer bashed Arsenal and English defender, White, for his on-field actions, having apparently faked a reaction, intending to signal that he was hit by Brighton’s Pervis Estupinian.
The incident occurred over the weekend, in the Gunners’ 3-0 win over the seagulls, with Estupinian merely walking beside White, raising questions about the authenticity of the contact.
“What I don’t understand, I don’t like and never have liked is play-acting”, Alan Shearer said.
“I don’t get it or why players do it, but especially now when you’ve got so many cameras on the ground and you’ve got VAR (Video Assistant Referee) anyway that will look back at incidents. For you not think to yourself that it’s a bit embarrassing doing that?
“And Ben White is not the only one by the way, lots of players do it, I just don’t know why you’d bring that on yourself. You just look like a prat.”
Players used to act a lot, especially before VAR was introduced. However, it appears that now, as we’ve seen with players like Luis Suarez, Ibrahimovic, and Ramos, to name a few, players believe they can manipulate the system to get a footballing decision from the referee that changes the game’s outcome.
“Play-acting”, a menace in football
In their efforts to put a stop to play-acting and any football-related antics going forward, the FA will undoubtedly have their hands full and will need to use stringent methods to curb this menace.
Arsenal return to action on Tuesday, April 9, 2024 welcoming German giants Bayern Munich in the Champions League, and they will undoubtedly want to avoid any kind of drama.
Despite their below-average Bundesliga season this year, the Bavarians will be a tough nut to crack.
Former Tottenham Hotspur man Harry Kane will definitely be the talisman for his side as he returns to North London for the first time to do battle against familiar old foes.
For the Gunners, after putting up another incredible performance against Brighton and Hove Albion that saw them record their third successive away victory, they will be hoping for a similar occurrence when they do battle against Thomas Tuchel and his Bayern Munich team.
Having scaled through Porto on penalties, they’ll be hoping to get the job done this time around in 180 minutes of regulation time.
Defensively sound in Europe this season, the Londoners haven’t conceded in a UCL home game this term, but the last time they failed to keep a clean sheet at the Emirates stadium was against Bayern Munich in 2017, with the Bavarians hammering the Gunners 5-1 in March 2017.
Ben White and Pervis Estupinian
Ben White, 26, was born on October 8, 1997, in Poole, England, and he has played for several clubs in his career, including; Newport County, Leeds United, and Brighton.
He has made 126 appearances for Arsenal, scoring 4 goals and providing 10 assists in all competitions.
Internationally, White has made 4 appearances for England, scoring no goal and providing no assist.
Meanwhile, Pervis Estupinian, 26, was born on January 21, 1998, in Esmeraldas, Ecuador, and he has played for a host of clubs, including; Watford, Villarreal, and Udinese.
Having joined the Seagulls in the summer of 2022 for a fee of €17.8 million from Villarreal, Estupinian has proceeded to make 67 appearances, scoring 4 goals and providing 12 assists in all competitions.
Internationally, Pervis Estupinian has made 38 appearances for Ecuador, scoring 4 goals and providing 4 assists.
