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Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo, left, is challenged by Barcelona's Yaya Toure during the UEFA Champions League final soccer match between Manchester United and Barcelona in Rome, Wednesday May 27, 2009. AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia
UEFA should be applauded. In their handling of the Eduardo dive case the European football’s governing body has shown the sort of leadership abilities everyone just assumed they didn’t have.
First off, by handing Eduardo a two-match ban for simulation in Arsenal’s UEFA Champions League playoff with Celtic they made a statement that such blatant cheating wouldn’t be tolerated. It was a strong signal of intent.
Then this week, not content with championing the fight against diving, they also decided to take the lead in support of Eduardo. By overturning the Arsenal striker’s ban UEFA have sent a clear message to players right across the continent, a sense of balance is superfluous.
Never before have I seen one organisation take a stand on two different sides of the same issue.
Astounding.
It’s a dark day for football. UEFA president Michel Platini’s original tough talking comments on stamping out diving will be about as effective as Emmanuel Adebayor’s attempt to imprint his boot on Robin Van Persie’s face.
As FIFA took on the illegal transfer of minors and UEFA, forgive the pun, tackled diving, the atmosphere around the continent and the world seemed to be shifting. I truly thought that we’d reached the tipping point against football’s ‘dark arts’.
It’s amazing how easily good intentions can be undone.
Scott McDonald might not be able to score for the Socceroos at the moment but he certainly hit the target this week when he said that UEFA’s change of heart would render it more difficult to cut out diving.
“They [UEFA] set a precedent, went with it, and then turned it on its head so it will be interesting to see what happens next” explained the Celtic striker.
So what do we do now? McDonald thinks the focus must be on getting the decision right at the time.
“We just need the people in charge of the game to see these things rather than afterwards.
“All that matters to the players on the pitch is that the right decision is made or else it can upset the result.”
Leading English football writer Henry Winter thinks we need a different approach. In his column for The Telegraph earlier this week he wrote that the “Eduardo fiasco … underline(s) one reality: the need for proper disciplinary juries sitting in retrospective judgment on such games.
“The FA must consider the permanent establishment of a video-review panel, involving those who have served with distinction as player, manager or referee … to deliberate on controversial incidents.
“The Premier League (on Sunday) said it would welcome this. A similar panel should convene in Nyon to assess European games. At least the miscreants would know they were being watched.”
Australia, thanks to inspirations from the AFL and NRL, has already taken the lead on this. Unfortunately, to my mind, the match review panel’s auspice on diving appears to be somewhat limited.
I’d like to see the furthering of both approaches. We must support our referees to get things right on the pitch but also challenge diving and all other forms of “unsporting behaviour” off it as well.
Though UEFA have done their best this week to make it as hard as possible to do so.
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