penalty

Yes/no

Of course it was a penalty. The Macedonian defender pulled Peter Crouch's shirt many times, until he fell. No it wasn't a penalty. Pulling a forward's shirt in the box, a player by the way who isn't anywhere near the ball, just isn't enough a foul to license a penalty.

So...

The rules are clear: a foul is a foul. But in practice it isn't clear at all. Forwards like Peter Crouch, like to stumble and dive in the box as soon as they are touched. if they do it once too often, referees are wont to ignore them. Good referees. I don't know whether French referee Bertrabd Layec ignored Crouch or maybe didn't see what happened, we have to see him at work more often to judge.,