Jamie Vardy dive: England manager Roy Hodgson defends Leicester striker and says he reacted like a 'human being'

Vardy is almost certain to secure a place in Hodgson’s 23-man England squad for Euro 2016

Jamie Vardy reacts to being shown a red card (Getty)

Roy Hodgson has delivered a staunch defence of Jamie Vardy by insisting the Leicester City forward did not dive during Sunday’s Premier League draw with West Ham and reacted like a ‘human being’ after being sent off by referee Jon Moss.

Vardy, who is almost certain to secure a place in Hodgson’s 23-man England squad for Euro 2016 barring injury, has until 6pm today to respond a Football Association charge of improper conduct as a result of his allegedly foul-mouthed reaction to being dismiss by Moss for simulation.

The 29-year-old is facing an additional one-match suspension if the charge is upheld by a disciplinary commission, which would rule him out of Leicester’s next two games against Swansea City and Manchester United.

But England manger Hodgson has defended Vardy by claiming Moss was wrong to send him off for diving.

“Vardy got sent off at the weekend, but once again I will go out on a limb because I don’t see that (dive),” Hodgson said. “I don’t see that as a dive.

“I think he was unbalanced. I don’t think it was a penalty either, I think he was unbalanced, running at that speed.

“I think there was a very slight contact with the defender, who was trying to cover. I think he (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 don’t see it and I wouldn’t blame him for that. I sympathise with him, I think he was very, very unlucky.”

Vardy’s reaction to Moss’s decision has led to the forward’s character and temperament being questioned.

But despite Vardy’s obvious anger, Hodgson refused to criticise the players for displaying his emotions.

Jamie Vardy was given a second yellow for diving incident (Getty)

“He has had to swallow the fact that he has been made to leave the field,” Hodgson said. “Then, of course, he has reacted like sometimes human beings react.

“He hasn’t just said to the ref, ‘that is all right, I understand’ and shakes hands and have a good game.

“He has called him a few names. But he is a human being and that can happen.”

With England suffering in previous major tournaments from key players being sent off following flashes of temper – David Beckham at France 98 and Wayne Rooney in Germany eight years later – Vardy’s reaction at the weekend has raised the spectre of Hodgson’s team being compromised by similar problems.

But despite the likes of Vardy, Dele Alli and Rooney possessing explosive temperaments, Hodgson believes it would be impossible to eradicate the risk of future disciplinary outbursts in France.

“I think our discipline record over the last few years has been pretty good,” Hodgson said. “I think it will remain good, but I can’t guarantee you a Vardy a Rooney, a or a Alli, or anyone else for that matter is not going to do that.

“Our players will know that discipline is very, very important. Our players will have it drummed into them that they must keep their cool, don’t lose your temper, don’t run the risk that they are going to upset you and get you sent off.

“We tell them all those things. But what if it happens?

“People make it sound so simple that all you have to do is tell them, for me to go round to go round to every player and give a lecture and saying: ‘listen boys, we don’t want anything like this happening.’

“Just imagine it’s 89th minute of the game, you get sent off, look what would happen to us, they would nod very wisely, none of them would disagree, they all say: ‘don’t worry, we won’t do it. You’re right.’

“But then it still happens.”