Sporting Tragics may recall the farcical scenes at the 2010 World Cup. Players sprawling on the ground. Balls kicked out of play unnecessarily. Players rushing at the referee in an attempt to exert influence.
The beautiful game was all too regularly halted by the sad scourge of diving.
Fast-forward three and a half years. Nothing has been done in response to the scourge in the way of meaningful action and consequence.
Having referees administer yellow cards when they think they’ve sighted the scourge has not worked. Nor has leaving referees to decide whether the player lying limp on the ground is truly injured and to call a stop to the game.
In recent days some of football’s biggest names have voiced their frustrations about the scourge.
Chelsea manager, Jose Mourinho, and FIFA president, Sepp Blatter, have both urged referees to take a tougher stance.
The game happens fast, much too fast for a referee to correctly identify the scourge on every occasion.
The pressure should be taken off the referee. The scourge needs to be dealt with by a post game review committee. Each instance of the scourge, as discerned by the committee, should be dealt with harshly – possibly with a three-game ban, as players do who receive a straight red card.
Let’s face it – diving is cheating. It is a player acting deceitfully, trying to convince the referee that something terrible occurred, when it actually did not.
If everyday Sporting Tragics went about behaving in such a deceitful manner at their jobs or with their loved ones, they would not receive a slap on the wrist in the way that players who dive receive a yellow card. The Tragics would surely feel the full brunt of a very harsh punishment – such as a night on the couch.
With only five months to go until the World Cup in Brazil, Sporting Tragics everywhere will be praying that the tournament will not be plagued by the scourge of diving.
Rather, they will be praying that players get on with what they do best – playing the beautiful game.
Mazzalenko
Guest
Sorry didnt realise I needed your permission to be upset at a comment made by Adam Julian. Whats with patronising tone saying 'wow' to me?
baankskis
Guest
I love diving. I love dodgy goals being called, love off-sides not being awarded, Love players trying to scam a throw-in when they know they touched it last. I love Berishas pen in the Grandy and that Vukovic got 9mths.Strebre hates Del Piero...gold.
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
Fans are more than happy to defend duckers, divers, floppers, engagers in simulation and stagers, depending on your code of choice. Serious action would involve video review after the game, with potential suspensions or reversals of results. This is an example - as a mere fine, it's a weak penalty, but it's the an example of a prevention system in action. http://www.latimes.com/sports/lakersnow/la-sp-ln-nba-warns-jodie-meeks-flopping-20140102,0,5148517.story#axzz2pt0Ozsw4
Australian Rules
Guest
wow
Mazzalenko
Guest
Get off your high horse bigot...seriously grow up and get a life
O Golfan
Roar Rookie
The person / shirt grabbing that goes on, often seen at corners, is bizarre! Totally counter-intuitive to those wanting the game to be free flowing and enjoyable for viewers.
O Golfan
Roar Rookie
Mourinho shouldn't be expected to do anything. It should be up to the governing bodies to punish Oscar. Best case, Mourinho should also instill an anti-diving culture at his club.
Evan Askew
Guest
If they were to reintroduce suspensions for diving based on post game video evidence then it is my belief that they should only inflict punishment in the event that the video evidence shows conclusively that there was no contact. A suspension was inflicted on Central Coast Mariners player Patricio Perez for a dive but what troubled me was the fact that the video evidence didn't prove conclusively that there was no contact. DePiero is god at milking fouls but that is due also to the fact that Australian defenders can't tackle. In almost all of the instances that Del Piero won a foul there was some sort of contact and therefore there can be no punishment for diving.
Evan Askew
Guest
I dont like diving and think more active measures should be taken to stamp it out. But you are right. The Italians would probably keep winning stuff in football because they above all else they know how to produce good footballers. We don't. The wonderfull players we have produced have being in spite of the attitudes and culture of mainstream Australia.
1860melbourne
Guest
I like Sepps idea of 2 minutes in the sin bin for anyone caught diving.
Ian
Guest
Time to get over the 2006 WC. Doubt you know anything about Italian football at all. The 'Aussie's don't cheat in any sport' line is boring.
marcel
Guest
Diving is cheating.....and so is grabbing a striker by the arm, shirt, shorts etc. Can't fix one problem without first fixing the other...but for some reason that's now an accepted part of the game.
Chopper
Guest
I seem to recall a couple of players in the A league copping suspensions for "diving". These were handed out by a post match review panel. The big difficulty is determining whether a player is diving or milking a foul. ADP is a master of drawing the foul and in the recent game against the Roar ADP scored from a free kick earned by drawing the foul however just prior to that moment he could have been booked for diving as he kicked both of his legs out infront of him and fell on his ass. Upon realizing he hadn't drew the foul he jumped up and had a second attempt which was successful, hence the goal. The difference between the two may only have been millimetres in terms of contact but never the less a dive is a dive or is it. Is it also right to point just to diving and call it cheating? What about claiming a throw in or a corner/goal kick from the ref when you know that you are wrong. Or in other sports - RL, milking a penalty for offside by running directly at your offside opponent. - Cricket, appealing when you know that there is no way the player is out but just to get him unsettled. There would be many other aspects of sports that could be called cheating. I am not trying to defend diving, I am just trying to broaden the discussion and I personally believe that post match a player should receive a ban for diving and I also agree that the club should be fined when their player dives but it is a bit like global warming, why should we act alone? Fifa must control the game by ensuring every association penalizes it and the best time to start is at the World Cup.
clayts
Guest
What did you expect the manager to do to one of his best players other than talk to him?
O Golfan
Roar Rookie
Well played Titus! Oscar's Oscar winning dive won him a supposed talking to from Mourinho. But nothing in the way of actual consequence.
O Golfan
Roar Rookie
It should be a 'conviction'. Players would be deterred from diving because once caught they become a convicted diver/cheater. I'm sure fans worldwide would not want to support a team of convicted cheaters.
O Golfan
Roar Rookie
Very true! (Although, sadly, you may need to include France, Spain, Portugal/Ronaldo, etc.)
O Golfan
Roar Rookie
Agree. The message needs to be clear from mentors, such as the coaching staff.
Titus
Guest
What sort of punishment did Mourinho hand out to Oscar for his Oscar winning dive, if he is so worried about it?
Ben of Phnom Penh
Roar Guru
The key is fans. Part of the reason blatant diving isn't as prevalent in Australia is that a player risks being booed by his own fans (something that some of our imports have learnt the hard way). This is by far the best remedy.