Laurent Koscielny brands Luis Suarez a cheat

Arsenal centre-back Laurent Koscielny has become the latest person to criticise Liverpool striker Luis Suarez.

Twenty-five-year-old Suarez has been in the spotlight recently following a handful of incidents in which he has been accused of diving in order to win penalties.

French defender Koscielny, who recently came up against the Uruguayan at Anfield, feels that his reputation is thoroughly justified.

"Who is the forward I hate to face? Suarez," Koscielny told L'Equipe. "He is tiresome to defend against. He cheats. He pulls your shirt, giving small blows. You always want to give him a kick but you have to be careful not to be red carded.

"For example in September against Liverpool, it was the case with Luis Suarez.

"He is a player who likes to dive as soon as there is contact. During a challenge we jostled a bit each other and he fell. He started to talk to me in English, to say it was a penalty."

Koscielny is currently with the French squad that is preparing to take on Spain.