"I have never intentionally tried to dive" says Rooney

London, Sep 4(ANI): Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has stood against the whole diving issue which is surrounding the Premier League and said that he is one of football's white knights when it comes to fair play.

Recently questions were raised after Rooney won a penalty against Arsenal last week and it was doubted whether he went down before Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia made contact.

"Everyone who watches me knows I am an honest player," The Sun quoted Rooney, as saying.

"Have I ever dived? On holiday, yeah. But, no, I have never intentionally tried to dive. There have been times when I've tried to stay on my feet to get the shot off rather than going down," he added.

The diving issue has been a topic of debate ever since Arsenal's Eduardo was accused of diving, which won a penalty against Celtic in the Champions League. Eduardo was banned for two games for the simulation. ooney further said that if the referee gives a penalty, there is nothing that a player can do and it's up to the authorities if they want to take the punishment further.

"These things have happened for years and you can only bank on the referees making the right decision and giving the right punishment," Rooney said.

"It's important the game is played honestly. I'm sure many big games have been decided by wrong decisions. But it's not down to me to fix, it's down to other people," he added. (ANI)