A sparkling round of A-League action this weekend was marred by the issue of “simulation”, which raised its ugly head in two games to ultimately influence the result of both. Let’s call it what it is; cheating.
It must be galling for Sydney FC and Melbourne Heart, who have yet to register a win between them this season.
Sydney goalkeeper Liam Reddy should feel especially hard done by, having received a red card for his “foul” on Central Coast Mariners Argentinian midfielder Patricio Perez, who rubbed salt into the FC wounds by converting the resulting penalty himself. The game at the Sydney Football Stadium finished 1-1.
At AAMI Park, Melbourne Heart were seconds from a first-ever A-League victory when Perth Glory’s Michael Baird felt the draught created by the movement of Heart defender Kliment Taseski and it caused him to fall in a heap.
Robbie Fowler converted the spot kick and a great game finished in a 2-2 draw. Simon Colosimo made his feelings known very succinctly in the post-match interview on Fox Sports.
There has to be a starting point to stamp out the business of what Roy and HG might call “penalty-pulling.”
Every challenge in the area should be watched by a match review committee. If a player is found to have taken a dive in the box, and the referee falls for it, the player gets suspended for two games as a first offence.
Any cards handed out to the defending team are immediately rescinded. This should only be for decisions in the box – it would make the game hopelessly over-analysed if every foul on the pitch was scrutinised after the event.
This might just stop not only the players performing the act, but it might just stop coaches encouraging them to do so. It is probably no shock to many, but a lot of coaches will tell players to “fall down” if they feel the slightest contact, especially if the player concerned looks over-matched physically.
But let’s make a clarification here. There is an art-form to inviting a foul, and a clever and skillful player will put themselves in a position where they outfox a defender and coax them into an ill-advised challenge.
Players like Michael Owen and Carlos Tevez have such an ability. Defenders get unnerved by their pace and movement and are often forced into a desperate lunge.
Clearly, that wasn’t the case with Baird and Perez. In the Perez case, it’s a shame because his debut has been much-anticipated, and apart from the penalty, he looked like a player set to make a positive impact on the A-League this season.
Diving is often cited as the major reason why casual fans don’t become football converts. On the balance of the action this weekend, there is much to admire about the current A-League season. It’s just that two of the most decisive moments were not too admirable at all, to casuals or converts alike.
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