Would you like to see diving and play-acting removed from the game? Do you get fed up with fans of other sports taking the piss out of football, because of players crying over the smallest tap? I think the answer for the vast majority of fans is “yes” and also for the authorities, who I am sure all hate it The trouble is, it is never dealt with! At the start of a season or a tournament, you often hear about things that will be cracked down on and this is sometimes one of those things. But in truth, ‘cracking down’ on it usually means sweet F-A! Yes, if the referee is sure you dived, he will give a yellow card. For the advantage it gets you, an occasional yellow when the ref is sure is not going to deter you. This is going to seem drastic, but I think it would work… How about, in top major leagues and UEFA (and other continental equivalents) and FIFA competitions, where there is considerable TV coverage, they actually take a stance and say that any player caught on camera, clearly diving or play-acting faces suspension! A proper punishment! When I say play-acting, I mean times when you see a player go down clutching his face in agony and when you see the replay, he got a little hand-off in the middle of the chest. Maybe, a players little finger brushed against his cheek. Perhaps he gets a tap on the foot and goes down clutching his shin as if he has a broken leg. Anything where he is clearly trying to con the referee into thinking he has been hit hard, somewhere where he hasn’t… Ban him! Perhaps make it a minimum of 1 game, with more if he seems to be making a concerted effort to win a penalty or get someone sent off – 3 games? I don’t think it would take too long for the penny to drop! Football IS a game that can easily be played without the diving, the fake tears, the appearance of there being snipers in the crowd. It can be done and I don’t think it would be difficult
Agree with this and a few years back I seem to remember the 'authorities' talking about doing exactly this sort of thing, but it never really came to anything. Although some of these cynical teams (e.g. Uruguay) do bring some enjoyment by being the villains who we love to hate.
Yes , bit it won't happen or if it does / did it'll last for about as long as time wasting & extra minutes added on at the end of a match has done at the World Cup . Unfortunately , it's part & parcel of the game nowadays & a cultural problem that's now become widespread . I work with several Portuguese & one of them Tamba says they learn to fall , roll & squeal before they can kick a football & along with the Brazilian's & Spanish are the masters at it yet strangely enough they are so technically gifted they don't need to do it . It's also an age thing as in for younger people it's more acceptable but for the older generation who can remember such things as the ' slide tackle ' it's seen as cheating & wrong . We at Posh had a player called Marcus Maddison who at 3rd tier level of football was a great cheat most of the time but he'd get caught out some of the time & if the ref gave him a yellow card for cheating / feigning around 50% of Posh fans , the oldies would cheer whilst the rest would look perplexed at our actions . We're lucky being 3rd tier football fans as cheating / feigning isn't as widespread as Premier League although it is on the rise , not sure if I'm becoming old & cynical but I shake my head & roll my eyes numerous times throughout every match I watch these days , it's as much about cheating as it is about skill & tactics although is cheating ' the new tactics ' ?
I actually find a lot of international matches and tournaments hard to watch because of all the acting nonsense. Its the way the players scream when they are tackled. Its so bizarre. I'd be really embarrassed to scream when tackled and the next second to get up and carry on. Its just accepted now, its weird to me.
Retrospective cautions would be a start but would be fairly hard to police and teams will always appeal so it would get expensive I should imagine. If a player goes down and 'needs' treatment, they should be made to leave the field for a minimum of five minutes, that would put a stop to it immediately.
This is something I just don't get. How are players not embarrassed, lying on the floor, crying because someone touched them! I played ice hockey. I'm used to the very opposite... players pretending NOT to be injured when they are!
You can't appeal a caution (yellow card) though. I couldn't disagree more. This punishes players (and their teams) who are genuinely injured, and means a player fouled who needs treatment will then be punished for getting injured? They already do this (not the 5 minute bit) and it's very annoying. Every other season we seem to start with a new policy about 'simulation' but the problem is the referees are often 30 yards away and/or can't spot a foul or dive anyway. That suggests VAR getting involved, meaning yet more thumb twiddling in the dark for the long-suffering match going fans.
I'm not suggesting a yellow card though. Yellow cards are completely useless for something like this. It needs to be an actual punishment, if it can be clearly seen by the TV cameras. My suggestion isn't regarding VAR. All top competitions these days are covered by TV. Each game has a person review the TV coverage and if there is an instance where a player can be seen CLEARLY diving or pretending to have been hit somewhere painful when he hasn't, BAN HIM! In the premier league for instance, with all the money that goes to the FA, I am sure they can afford to have someone spend 2-3 hours studdying each game. There are only 10 games. If 5 people did 2 games each, they could be reviewed comfortably by Tuesday and bans announced before the next game
So that's VAR then, as I said. And yet again we're introducing a person's opinion into the equation. Doesn't worry me in the slightest, football's the world's game, the likes of ice hockey and rugby are tiny niche sports in comparison.
all football games should have a citing officer like in rugby. Then each team should be able to make submissions to this officer and the referee's word is not be final anymore. yellow cards should in increased to red or vice versa Diving and general cheating should then be dealt with.
I very much approve of this The whole premise and use of VAR in football is IMO - not fit for purpose. The simulation is just deeply embrarassing and it makes me want to put my foot through the telly when I hear commentators say 'won a penalty / free kick / etc' for their team - no they didn't - it's not the same as 'drawing a foul' - it's cheating pure and simple and I'd be ecstatic to see them sent to a sin bin immediately for 10 minutes for doing so in the game they committed the simulation in And while I'm on a rant - the same for those who surround the ref and gob off ..... off to the bin for them too
Hate it. Don't see it in rugby, total respect for the ref. Dish out yellow after yellow or red for players that mouth off and run at the official.
