Cork City manager John Caulfield has called for action over Stephen Kenny's claims that Cork were "manufacturing penalties". Ahead of last Friday's defeat to Bray Wanderers, Kenny told Dundalk's club website that Dundalk had not been awarded a penalty in a year, contrasting that figure to the thirteen awarded to Cork in that time. The Dundalk manager then accused City of "manufacturing" spot-kicks:
It’s an amazing statistic and it is hard to believe in that period that Cork City have had THIRTEEN penalties the beginning of last year! THIRTEEN penalties. There’s a huge disparity there. Thirteen penalties is outrageous.
Our players have been very honest. The problem now is that there is a tendency to have manufactured penalties...
....We have seen with the penalty Cork got against Shamrock Rovers a few weeks ago where Rovers lost 2-1 in Tallaght. That sort of manufacturing of penalties has to be stopped. They are being given too easily.
As a club we have to rise above all of that. There is a massive disparity in the decision making process. Is it Turner’s Cross? Why the disparity?
We have been the dominant team over this period. We won the league by seven points last season and dominating games. It’s a question which has to be asked.
We want some evenness in that regard and there has to be a fairness attached to everything.
Such is the caprice of irony, Dundalk went on to lose 3-1 to Bray following his comments, with Bray awarded two controversial penalties.
Cork, meanwhile, continued their remarkable start to the season, making it nine wins from nine with a 2-0 win away to Bohs. Speaking after the game to Cian Treacy of the Irish Indo, Caulfield branded Kenny's comments an "astonishing attack", and called for action from the FAI.
It was an astonishing attack on League of Ireland referees and assistant referees. I'm sure the relevant authorities will deal with it.
There's great guys doing their best. Some days you get them, some days you don't, but overall I think the standard is very good. I just read it as an astonishing attack.
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