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The blatant dive committed by Reds striker Christiano to win a penalty against Melbourne Friday night couldn’t have come at a better time as leading officials call for long-awaited measures to eradicate this blight on the game.
Recently retired referee Mark Shield was quoted in the Daily Telegraph supporting video match reviews to implement retrospective punishments for players who dive.
“Sometimes you look at things on the pitch and then they look completely different on TV – simulation is one where it’s sometimes impossible to tell with the human eye.
“(Reviewing such incidents) is not impacting on the game because it’s done retrospectively, and if there were to be fines or suspensions handed out afterwards, that would act as a deterrent,” he said.
Football’s fear of technology aside (this won’t stop the flow of the game in anyway), this proposal must be implemented as soon as possible by the FFA as it is having a negative impact on not just the image of the game but also the potential growth of the A-League.
Christiano’s dive and Adrian Trinidad’s dramatic collapse after a collision with Sydney’s Iain Fyfe are images the A – League doesn’t need in its fight for approval from the nation.
“It really is a blight on the game, particularly in Australia where there are other sports that are perceived to be tough and non-football followers see players falling over because they’ve got the slightest touch,” said Shield.
The sad fact is simulation is now embedded within the sport, an accepted practice by players who use this justification to explain their actions.
Football is game of beauty, and simplicity, unaffected by the over regulation of other codes.
Yet when you ask non – football fans what they dislike about the round ball game they often point to simulation and diving.
It has slowly replaced the “I don’t like to watch 0 – 0 draws” as the mantra for the Joe Blow who lives on a staple diet of AFL or Rugby and Cricket and still views football, or as they still call it soccer, with some suspicion.
If the FFA are concerned about crowd figures and the codes growth within Australia relative to its rival footballing codes, it must stamp out this blight on the game.
Remember football is still very new for many in Australia. Seeing players cheating is hardly the way to endear the public.
Last year UEFA introduced rules that allowed players to be sanctioned for simulation that impacted on the result of the game through post match reviews.
Even the Australia’s Professional Footballers Association made a submission to the FFA’s in support of tough measures against divers.
It is time for the FFA to act.
As Shield says it is easy for referees to be deceived during the heat of the game but little escapes the view of the camera. But this shouldn’t be just a token regulation. Only actions and punishments can act as deterrents for the players.
It is the only way to start changing the culture of acceptance of this behaviour as just a part of the game.
The sooner the FFA introduces these measures, the better the larger sporting community will perceive the game.