Bruno Fernandes’ on-field antics have once again sparked debate amongst football fans and pundits alike, this time over what was undoubtedly a very ‘soft’ penalty against Wigan Athletic which helped Manchester United into the fourth round of the FA Cup.
Man United won 2-0 against the local side at the DW Stadium on Monday night, thanks to a lovely curled finish into the bottom corner from Diogo Dalot and the controversial spot kick, but it’s fair to say they were wasteful on the night and should have grabbed more.
With multiple missed chances from Rasmus Højlund before the penalty, the longer the game stayed at 1-0, the more it looked like they were pushing their luck and that Wigan might go up the other end and equalise — which made the tide-turning penalty even more frustrating for the home fans.
Going under very visible contact, albeit rather light and minimal, Fernandes‘ penalty has left many arguing both sides: was it a clear penalty under the laws of the game or a pantomime dive from a crafty creative midfielder? We’ll let you decide:
Let’s just say he isn’t a stranger to a bit of theatrics.
As you can see, the consensus in the ITV studio after the game from former United man Roy Keane, Arsenal legend Ian Wright and even ex-Wigan coach Roberto Martinez was that although awarding a penalty was technically the correct decision, it was “clever”, to say the least.
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The fact that it was widely publicised that there was no VAR on the night arguably makes Bruno’s behaviour on the pitch even more shrewd, as he will no doubt have taken that into account before the game and in the moment he decided to go down, no matter how little contact he received.
You won’t find many football fans, Red or otherwise, vehemently defending it as an ‘obvious’ pen and we’re sure most reasonable supporters would have understood had it ultimately been overturned — but the fact is, under the current state of refereeing, you can only really depend on the very letter of the law.
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Nevertheless, it hasn’t stopped people from criticising the Portuguese player for diving (something he’s fairly used to these days) and claiming he dived.
🗣️ 'That should be enough'
Bruno Fernandes has scored a controversial penalty to take Manchester United 2-0 up at Wigan in the FA Cup 3rd round ⚽ pic.twitter.com/SIU8utdInP
Fellow pundit Danny Murphy said, “By giving those penalties, we are encouraging players to dive with any, any contact. There was not enough contact to send him over”, adding, “It is an exaggerated fall, it is an awful decision”.
Latcis and League One followers, in general, made their feelings known on social media, with one account posting: “Feel sorry for Wigan Athletic after Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes had to cheat to get a penalty against the League One side. On the other hand, what a shift the Tics players did last night. The whole team should be proud”.
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What did you make of it — a clever bit of play-acting from a pro doing whatever he needs to do to help his team win, or a dive that only further adds to the problematic culture of simulation?
You can the highlights from Wigan Athletic vs Man United down below:
Premier League Darts is returning to Manchester’s AO Arena in 2027
Lydia Mastrolonardo
Premier League Darts is confirmed to be returning to Manchester next year.
Now’s your chance to see the youngest world champion in darts history, AKA Warrington’s very-own Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler, show us how it’s done, as next year’s BetMGM Premier League Darts lineup has just been announced this week – with various dates confirmed across 17 different cities in the UK and Europe.
And Manchester is one of those cities, as the AO Arena has shared that they are set to host an evening next April, and we couldn’t be more excited about it.
This means that we will be lucky enough to witness the biggest names in world darts all under one roof, including headliners Gian van Veen and Luke Humphries, as well as Littler.
Manchester is the only northern city to get the pleasure of hosting the event next year, as Liverpool is also on the lineup, as is Leeds, Sheffield, and Newcastle, while elsewhere in the UK, the stars will travel to Glasgow, Birmingham, London, and several other major locations.
BetMGM Premier League Darts is to be held on Thursday 8 April at the AO Arena in Manchester, and to avoid being disappointed, fans are advised to register for presale ticket access.
Following a successful season of events in 2026, tickets are expected to be like gold-dust, so don’t say you haven’t been warned.
To access the first wave of tickets, fans must become an active PDCTV Annual Member before 23:59pm on Friday 9 October. Alternatively, general sale is on Thursday 22 October 2026, but make sure not to hang about.
Featured Image – Sandro Halank (via Wikimedia Commons)
Sport
Andy Burnham wants to scrap the ‘unfair’ ban on drinking alcohol in football stands
Emily Sergeant
Andy Burnham has claimed he wants to scrap the ‘unfair’ ban on fans getting to drink alcohol in football stands.
It’s a ban that’s been in place in the top five tiers of men’s football since 1985, when fears over violence and hooliganism were at their height, but now the Prime Minister has raised the question of whether drinking in football stands – or ‘drinking in sight / view of the pitch’, as it’s known formally – is actually unjust, due to the fact that same rules don’t apply to fans of other sports.
“I don’t think it’s fair for football fans to be singled out in that way,” Andy Burnham has declared this week, grabbing headlines in the process.
He continued: “I think that legislation dates to an era where football was very different, and I do believe there is a case to remove that discrimination.
“I’m not going to back away from what’s been a long-held view of mine. I don’t see how it can be fair that some supporters of one sport can be treated differently.”
The Prime Minister’s comments have been met with mixed response.
Andy Burnham wants to scrap the ‘unfair’ ban on drinking alcohol in football stands / Credit: James Kirkup | Julia Nastogadka (via Unsplash)
The Football Supporters’ Association (FSA), for example, has very much welcomed the idea, saying that it ‘totally agrees’ the legislation is ‘outdated’ and ‘deserves to be reviewed’.
Tom Greatrex, chair of the FSA, said in a statement: “The FSA has always argued that it’s unfair to criminalise football fans for having a pint while watching the match – especially since you can sit in the same seat drinking alcohol whilst watching an Oasis gig or rugby league.”
However, on the flip side, the UK Football Policing Unit said it would be ‘incredibly rash’ to change the rules without proper consultation.
“Other sports simply don’t see the violence and criminal behaviour from their supporters that football does, albeit a minority, with alcohol often playing a significant part in violent and disorderly behaviour,” it said in a statement on the matter.
The Prime Minister did state in his initial proposition though that ‘there are different ways it could be done’, hinting that it could be done ‘on a trial basis’ perhaps.
The English Football League (EFL) added that it would be ‘receptive to discussions around reviewing current legislation and permitting alcoholic drinks within view of the pitch’.
No formal details on a review have been confirmed as of yet, so fans are encouraged to stay tuned for updates in due course.
Danny Jones -
9th January 2024 
