Footballers have the potential to become reasonably good actors once they decide to hang up their boots. But it’s their on-field acting which has been plaguing the beautiful game for some time now.
Call it gamesmanship or deception, it’s here to stay. On-field theatrics have sadly become a major tactical part of the game. For all the brute force the players possess, it’s such an anomaly that the faintest of touches and nudges can bring them crashing to ground.
While some might consider it fair to indulge in a certain degree of fraud on the field, it is an act of cowardliness.
Playacting is something that is tarnishing the image of the game. However, according to Sepp Blatter, on-field behaviour has improved in recent years. This is not the case. However we are not surprised by inaccurate statements from Mr Blatter.
What happens is pretty straightforward these days. A player simulates a foul to get a free kick and impose a penalty on the guiltless opponent.
This intent is a spineless stab at pulling strings, is totally detestable and is a disgrace to the sport followed by billions.
In every match in every league or international fixture, playacting is prevalent and is bound to worsen in the years to come as FIFA seem to be taking no action against it. It’s awfully common in the Primera Liga with players from two of the biggest clubs in the world, Barcelona and Real Madrid, being masters at this craft.
Avram Grant, who led Chelsea to the 2008 Champions League final, has overtly said that negative tactics are a part of team strategy in modern-day football. Let’s have a look at some of the high-profile incidents that have been etched in memory for the wrong reasons in recent times.
In a 2002 World Cup match between Brazil and Turkey, Brazilian superstar Rivaldo was fined just £5,000 for one of the most embarrassing cases of faking in the history of the game. He pretended as though the ball hit his face when the ball was kicked towards him by a Turkish player who was sent off.
Rivaldo has never accepted the fact that he indulged in an act of cowardliness.
While the great Diego Maradona scored one of the greatest individual goals ever in the history of the game in the 1986 World Cup against England, the match is remembered for his infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal for which he received no punishment.
Thierry Henry, one of the game’s most graceful performers, had his reputation in tatters when he controlled the ball with his hand twice in the 103rd minute of a crucial World Cup qualifier against Ireland in 2009. He passed the ball to team-mate William Gallas who then scored to send France into World Cup 2010.
Henry eventually agreed that he used his hand but claimed that it’s the referee’s job to spot the hand-ball.
The beautiful game isn’t a television reality show. FIFA should not give in to the whims and fancies of on-field drama and cheap antics. Despite several incidents, they are being too slack by not punishing the perpetrators, which sends the wrong message across to players and coaches thereby, amplifying the concern.
Moreover, with the organisation’s outright refusal to employ technology in the game to minimise erroneous decisions, the recurrence of such gutless acts on the field is only going to worsen as the years roll by.
It’s also unfortunate that fans have begun to accept and cheer these cowardly deeds when it’s done to their team’s advantage. In a way, this implies that modern football does have a negative impact on the moral values of society.
PeterK
Guest
One of the reasons I love watching the Bundesliga is that the refs there do seem to be right on top of this sort of thing, and as a result, players don't seem to try it too often. I very much agree that it spoils a match.
Rusty
Guest
x2
Dippa666
Guest
Fuss, Just because other sports also have occurences of simulation doesn't mean we can't get our own house in order and stamp this poor behaviour from football. As the most followed sport on the planet football should be leading the way for others to follow.
apaway
Roar Guru
Goalkeepers never feign injury. They are tough and honorable...:)
jinesh m
Guest
wel i really dont thnk fifa cud do much abt it..the way madrid n barca indulge in theatrics is laughabl n shameful..even the italian teams r no better.. i wud nt include henry's handball in tis category purely cos his hand touchin the ball was voluntary and it was for the referee to spot it..jus lik the hand of god..i dnt thnk any player wud walk up 2 the ref n say tat it hit his hand..im agnst playactin n theatrics wher they try 2 win freekicks n penalties...thats shameful..
dasilva
Guest
Ths issue with b) is that it won't work for goalkeepers. You can't just have the game proceed without the goalkeeper and having another player of the team take over goalkeeping duty for 5 to 10 minutes. Actually stoping the clock would work for all players as there are no advantages due to time wasting. Although admittingly some people may believe it is too drastic of the change.
k77sujith
Roar Guru
Hi Silva...your suggestions (especially 'b') makes a lot of sense. Thanks.
k77sujith
Roar Guru
Hi Lucan, but how often do players take an injury time-out in tennis? I don't mean to get into an argument but the game's a lot more justified and fair (tennis) as well as cricket, to a large extent. Thanks.
k77sujith
Roar Guru
Hi MDS...I agree with you...a lot of time is wasted when they fake injuries and act like kids, something's got to be done about it. Thanks.
k77sujith
Roar Guru
Hi Osmos, it's a combination of both - theatrics & going to ground.
k77sujith
Roar Guru
Very well said Fuss but let's not digress to AFL :)
k77sujith
Roar Guru
Hi...good to read your views. Let's not forget the Primera Liga where theatrics are over the top. As for the Asian teams, I feel they follow the top leagues & players in the world, and get inspired to indulge in negative tactics. Thanks.
Nathan of Perth
Guest
There was a tremendous piece of dodgy play perpetrated by the New York Giants last year. The team they were playing was running no-huddles to give the New York Giants no time to change to their goal line defence specialists, so they had two players just fall over and plead injury for an injury time out. The general public was unamused.
Nathan of Perth
Guest
In a just world that Saudi player who got stretchered off would have sprained his ankle leaping up from the litter.
dasilva
Guest
Personally I think injury feigns to be far worst than diving. Someone dives, either it's a free kick, penalty or a yellow card but the game moves on. Someone injury feigns and the match completely stops until and the momentum is gone as players are stretchered off the field. This is even worst when goal keepers do it as there is no way a match can restart until the goal keeper gets "treated". Considering that the time added on at the end of the half rarely ever makes up the time wasted due to injury feigns it end up robbing the spectator of the spectacle of watching the game of football. I support either a) introduction of a stop clock or b) someone who has to leave the field or is stretchered off can't go back on the field for 5 to 10 minutes or be subbed off immediately.
apaway
Roar Guru
Diving and faking injury have often been cited as a reason why football doesn't appeal to fans of other codes in Australia. If it's said often enough, it becomes a truism, but as a fan, I hate the overracting and penalty pulling that occurs at the top end of the game. My flatmate is a former semi-professional player and fan and he was disgusted at the amount of cheating that occurred during the most recent Barcelona-Real Madrid game. So when the issue starts to disengage current fans, it IS an issue. The A-League has handled the issue probably better than most other leagues in the world by suspending players retrospectively.
Lucan
Tennis anyone? "Injury" timeouts in that sport are abused like nothing else.
Nathan of Perth
Guest
Antonio, it happens periodically but the overall climate in the A-League is *extremely* non-permissive. When Kewell made his little preemptive dives even the MV supporter boards were livid with him.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
@ Antonio I, too, could create a 2 min video of simulation in AFL but I honestly couldn't be bothered watching any AFL match footage.
Antonio
Guest
No Promblem in the A-league with diving? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDIBCYc654c