Brentford manager Keith Andrews refused to blame his player, launching a passionate defence of the striker despite his team’s FA Cup exit.
“No, I’m not upset at all,” Andrews said of Ouattara’s penalty, as quoted by ESPN. “I think the easiest thing for a footballer is not to take a penalty. It takes incredible courage on a stage like that to take a penalty. This is probably the first time I’ve spoken about penalty kicks and the people who miss them. I hate the culture around players who miss penalties – I think you know who I’m talking about, national heroes who do – being mocked, abused. I think it’s disgusting. It takes serious courage to do that. He’s practiced that technique a lot, and if he does it, everyone will praise him. Dango will get the full support he needs from me and everyone associated with him.”