Diving, or as the football world prefers to call it, simulation, is a growing concern in the football world.
It has grown to ridiculous levels and Sebastian Ryall’s latest episode has taken it to a whole new level after he was somehow cleared of diving.
Not only did he blatantly ‘trip over his own feet’ but he then had the audacity to go and pat Gui Finkler on the head and rub it in.
Why does FIFA not have harsher penalties in play for this? A red card is issued if a player denies an obvious goalscoring opportunity so why is a player not red carded if he is deemed to be trying to use simulation to create an obvious goalscoring opportunity.
And why do commentators and members of the football public avoid calling it diving at all costs? These players should be named and shamed and labelled as divers instead of being rewarded with penalty kicks.
This leads to my next point, why do we have to give a penalty kick, which is almost a certain goal, for unworthy fouls on the edge of the box. Why can’t we leave it up to the referee as to whether it was a very good goalscoring opportunity or not? There are already blatantly different rules when a player enters the penalty box and fouls that are given everywhere else on the field are thrown out the window.
So how can we change that? Simple, if a player has his back to the goal and is nudged on the back and flops to the ground, blow the whistle, call a foul but give the attacking team a free kick from wherever they would like to take it. If a player is brought down as he appears to be either creating or about to score an almost certain goal himself inside the box, award a penalty kick.
As it is now the game is turning into hockey more and more each week as players nearly ignore trying to score goals to play for penalties. In hockey, players enter the shooting circle and immediately try to hit a defender’s foot in order to receive a penalty corner. Football is mirroring this and it is getting out of hand quickly.
So let’s leave it up to the referees to decide whether a foul warrants a penalty kick or not, they make plenty of other decisions so why deny them from making this choice.
Why let a box determine who wins a game?
Mitchell Carman
Roar Rookie
Could not agree more.
Mitchell Carman
Roar Rookie
So if murder was against the law as it is, you would be happy for it to carry a $10 fine since its already against the rules? And I happened to be watching the game live, just haven't got around to writing the article until now.
Mitchell Carman
Roar Rookie
Except I love football
Mitchell Carman
Roar Rookie
well then in the rules it would be written as a penalty kick will be given for fouls that stop a goal scoring opportunity. Very similar to a player being sent off for the same offence.
Lroy
Guest
I thought the penalty was for a deliberate foul that would have prevented a shot on goal.... Nowdays a defender is not even allowed to make a tackle in the box... what nonsense is that?? The Lucas Neil penalty against Italy at the World Cup was a disgrace.. Maybe they should award a penalty at the OTHER end for a dive, ergo, you dive, throw out your arms like you have been shot... the ref hands you a card, and your goalkeeper has to defend a penalty. Some teams are notorious for it.. but I recall Michael Owen took a deliberate dive in the 2002 World Cup against Argentina... he was doing his Swan dive before the defender got near him... he got the penalty, Beckham slotted it... So I dont think English players are completely immune from the penchant. Having said that, I saw a documentary about diving, and its pretty clear when its fake... when he goes down like he has been hit by an elephant gun.. arms outstretched, head thrown back.. its fake... surprisingly easy to spot once you know what to look for.
Batou
Guest
Exactly Anthony. Usually this kind if article appears on the roar after a controversial incident gets enough media attention for non football followers to hear about it (in this case Seb Ryall's supposed dive on the weekend) or about once a week during the world cup when they are all tuning in and keen to let us all know need to be done to improve the most popular sport on earth. Not too say that football is perfect, but it is a global game and needs to be seen in that context where different cultures value the various aspects of three game differently. And as you and others have pointed out, simulation is already against the rules.
SM
Guest
Indirect free kicks in the penalty area are always exciting, perhaps because of how rare they are.
Anthony Ferguson
Guest
Nothing needs to be done. Diving or simulation is already against the rules. Up to the ref to spot it. This is just an issue raised by people who don't like football. If we changed the rules to suit them I guaranee they would immediately find another reason to not like football.
Towser
Guest
Yes indeed Horto.
Horto Magiko
Guest
'un 'undred percent Yorksha! twoa type o' fowk i' dis world fowk fra Yorksha 'n fowk 'a' want ta be fra Yorksha! God's back garden! :)
Freycinet1803
Roar Rookie
It would still need to be stated in the Rules of the Game though, and generally in a technical document such as the Rules of the Game you don't say "referees discretion" ... rules are meant to be objective not subjective. AFL however has no qualms with "umpires discretion" rules.
Mitchell Carman
Roar Rookie
Let the referee decide? They make plenty of other decisons don't they?
Towser
Guest
Ah the ability of people to see things that aren't really there Horto. The only metaphor I ever learned as a lad was in the vein of "I meta for lunch at the pub". Glad you had a laf ,you would really be rolling on the floor though if I could let loose on here under the Yorkshire umbrella of "Nar wen ar wer uh lad".
Batou
Guest
That's gold. Hair bleach must have been on special in Kyoto that month...
Horto Magiko
Guest
@towser Yeah those 'pesky foreigners'..where would English domestic football be without them huh. ( I shudder to think) It's a shame those infidels aren't as tough and 'Viking-like' as the homegrown talent. Why can't they all be like Barton! If fifa was run by the Anglo-football world no one would win a World Cup for 60 years boom tish. That being said., England cheated to win it. No ethnicity is exempt mate. BTW great use of metaphor towser.. The anglo Saxons were not Vikings! The Vikings were the pesky foreigners!!! Hahahaha
moss
Guest
I mean, who doesn't want to see more of this kind of thing? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omBKpMb6YHg
moss
Guest
Actually, for a foul in the box that does not stop a direct goal scoring opportunity (ie immanent shot on goal with the attacker in control of the ball and about to shoot), I would like to see an indirect free kick given. There really are not enough of them in football and they are hugely entertaining to watch. In addition, they mitigate the disastrous penalty calls made by the ref in situations such as ryall's foul.
Freycinet1803
Roar Rookie
Yeah definitely agree simulation is the better term. Even Ryalls fall wasn't a dive ... he fell and appealed for a penalty. More suits the term simulation to me. Personally when I ref games I tell players at the start that if they throw their hands up or exaggerate a free kick I am less likely to give anything (as you naturally put your hands down if you are tripped, so throwing your hands up suggests to me that you are faking). Oh by the way have you watched an AFL game lately?? Their free kick far outweighs a football match, tacklers drag the ball back into tackles and the attacker gets pinned, they throw their head backs anytime some goes near their shoulders etc. etc. 'Cheating' and simulation are well and truly alive in AFL too.
Batou
Guest
Good idea. While we are at it we should also change the rules to allow the use of hands (while still calling it football), add a few extra goal posts and give points for missing, play on a cricket pitch and cut the sleeves off all player's shirts... Or you could stick to your "preferred sports" of AFL and Racing and you won't have to worry about it at all. As Towser says, the rules are set by FIFA and are the same all over the world. Australia and even all Anglo countries are a small part of that. Besides which, diving is already against the rules. The problem usually lies with the referee detecting it. Once a year or so a case gets a high profile and people who don't even watch the sport are suddenly jumping in telling us what is wrong with football and how to improve it and make it more manly. As for the terminology, football fans use both 'diving' and 'simulation.' The official terminology is simulation as this is broader, not all simulation is diving. Rivaldo clutching his face after an opponent petulantly kicked the ball at him, hitting him in the knee, when he was trying to set up for a corner in the 2002 world cup springs to mind. Definitely simulation but not diving.
Freycinet1803
Roar Rookie
I must say I like the idea of only a penalty in a goal scoring capacity. Perhaps a corner is rewarded for other fouls in the penalty box, or perhaps a direct free kick in line with the offense but a metre (or as far as they want it) outside of the penalty box. The way the attacker was facing could determine the angle too. I guess the problem becomes about what entails a goal scoring opportunity.