Diving is an Olympic sport, only to be seen every four years. However, footballers sometimes get confused. What happened over the weekend is not uncommon in world football. Players are paid to win matches. And some will do this at any cost. Fair enough.
Before we all go on a witch-hunt, and start lighting torches, let’s not forget what a bad decision it was by the referee. A professional.
Now, you can jump up and down and call people cheats and acting un-Australian, but it was just a bad decision.
UEFA President Michel Platini has been toying with ideas for how to stop this, along with shirt pulling, for over the past two years. Platini’s solution? Two extra assistants; one behind each goal line.
Michel Platini: “The goal is to have one referee with more eyes. We do not want to change the philosophy of the game – we do not want to have two or three referees.”
This has recently been trailed at UEFA U-19 qualifiers in Slovenia. No video replays, no extra officials on the pitch.
It sounds like a positive solution. If UEFA continues trials, and the system becomes accepted, then other confederates will follow suit.
Everybody is talking about punishing the player in the Adelaide situation, but what about the referee.
Graham Poll was sent straight to the Championship after his World Cup effort. Perhaps the referee in question needs a week-long vacation.
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November 4th 2008 @ 7:52pm
Michael C said | November 4th 2008 @ 7:52pm | Report comment
re cheating and the like, a blog off BBC sport (Tim Vickery):
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/timvickery/2008/11/maradona_unfairly_labelled_a_c.html
November 5th 2008 @ 5:20am
Scott B said | November 5th 2008 @ 5:20am | Report comment
To everyone who replied;
To be honest I was fishing a bit when I wrote “Fair enough” within this article. And it seems a few, if not all of you bit.
I don’t think it’s good or fair but it happens…..often
There are other articles on this site talking about diving, however, I wanted a debate about the solution.
Let them dive….. but give them yellow cards.
Make the right decision.
With extra officials (as mentioned) we could move a long way to stamp diving out of the game. Along with pulling of shirts, interference and hand ball decisions (both offensive & defensive) within the box.
As long as it keep happening at the top level (Ronaldo), kids watching will think it will be ok to emulate their heros. I’m only picking on Ronaldo because of his pathetic dive and triple roll, pike, tuck, whatever , when Neville tackled the ball fairly not so long ago. Outside the box, not in a penalty situation but just as bad.
P.S. Please don’t debate about Ronaldo
November 5th 2008 @ 10:55am
dasilva said | November 5th 2008 @ 10:55am | Report comment
Solution
Yellow card outside the box
Red card inside the box
Post match video referee who give out retrospective red card for people who dive with no contact.
Have all penalties in the game subject to approval from video referee. Would not be too distruption to the flow of the game as it normally take few minutes or so to see up a penalty. – This is Millster idea
Have extra official as Scott suggested.
Have a public humilation. Perhaps FOX Sports should have a dive of the week. Have a list of divers and have crowds boo them everytime they get the ball.
November 5th 2008 @ 11:09am
Towser said | November 5th 2008 @ 11:09am | Report comment
dasilva
Stocks & rotten tomatoes work very well. So maybe FOX sports could put a “virtual” stock section on their programme each week with the head of offenders super imposed in them . Tomatoes added of course.
I’m sure with modern technology something could be arranged. Also on their internet site an interactive games section with a “Stock segment” and fans able to throw “virtual” tomatoes there.
November 5th 2008 @ 11:13am
oikee said | November 5th 2008 @ 11:13am | Report comment
You really want people at the game to boo. Now that i might be able to help with.
November 5th 2008 @ 11:20am
oikee said | November 5th 2008 @ 11:20am | Report comment
Wont be too long now before i can get the steel cap toes outta retirement and go off to a footy game and enjoy the sport outside the stadium. ARH , ,, the good ole days. Was talking to my wifes boss yesterday and he told me the rents was killing him, i said take what you dont want burned out of the office by the week-end,
November 5th 2008 @ 3:50pm
Matt said | November 5th 2008 @ 3:50pm | Report comment
Anyone remember a few years back Robbie Fowler went down inside the box and was awarded a penalty. However, as he was getting up, he was shaking his finger to the ref as if to say it was not a foul, but the ref had already awarded the penalty.
Robbie Fowler stepped up and missed the penalty on purpose.
Cue Steven Gerrard this morning. Blatant dive in the dying minutes, puts away the penalty and celebrates the draw. Terrible effort from Gerrard.