Wally Mason’s editorial in The Australian, about how diving damages football’s chances of becoming huge in Australia, has many fans shouting for a yellow or red card to be brandished in the face of the paper’s sports editor.
But the man has a point. After all, the newspaper devotes space to the beautiful game on a daily basis. The term ‘mainstream media’ is not one I favour and it is becoming a pejorative one, but while there may be instances where there is genuine hostility shown to football, surely this paper gives the game a fairer go than most.
I met Jade North a few times in Korea where he had quite a tough time. Once I asked his club Incheon United if I could interview him to be told I could – on the condition that I asked him how he was settling into life in Korea as United had no idea.
An articulate and intelligent man and defender, North made a mistake last weekend and his dive was embarrassing.
It may not, as Mason claims, mean the end of football’s hopes to become the country’s number one sport. But at very best, it does not do those chances any good.
Fans of other sports who are that way inclined use the practice of diving/simulation/pretending to be injured as a stick to beat the game with and it is hard to blame them. It is an ugly side of the game.
Some may see it as an affirmation of their existing dislike for the sport, but to dismiss the suggestion that it can turn off potential converts is wrong.
As is the idea that the sport is perfect and the practice of becoming angry when someone points out its flaws. There are many great things about football – we all have our favourites – but there are negatives too. Obvious cheating, for that is what it is, is a major issue.
Surely few football fans would argue otherwise.
The messenger shouldn’t be shot when he or she has a point. If there is hyperbole, sensationalism or untruths, they can be refuted but getting upset when it is noted that football has a diving problem is not the right response.
There has been criticism that a so-called non-football journalist has written about the game. This is also misguided. It would be fine, one assumes, if he had written something positive; but criticism does not go down well when it comes from ‘outside the family’.
There have been some gleeful hatchet jobs in the past and this, while perhaps a little over-the-top, is not one of those.
It has been said that diving is ‘unAustralian’ and this was repeated recently by Greg O’Rourke, the head of the A-League. I am not sure what that means, especially as that term has been used in the past to describe the entire sport. ‘The UnAustralian’ sounds like a good name for a newspaper.
Diving does seem to be relatively rare in the A-League, though it does go on, or, to put it more accurately, go down. Yet, as many fans are fond of telling supporters of other codes, football is the world game and as long as it happens in the big leagues, it is going to be talked about. You can’t be part of the world game when it suits and not when it doesn’t.
The A-League is just one part of a global whole and there is never any shortage of examples of such blatant cheating.
Having a few happen closer to home just gives the criticism a local flavour.
Wally Mason should not be crucified for writing about it, his piece had a point even if you don’t agree with his conclusion.
Stuart Thomas
Expert
just near the elbow
The word
Guest
Is Wally mason part of the grand afl conspiracy against soccer too?
Vocans
Guest
Van't Schip's defence of his player shamming doesn't help. This behaviour does put football's move towards number 1 back quite a bit. Maybe if we sent offenders to Coventry for a while...?
Josh
Guest
Revered, any other questions ?
punter
Guest
Very true Bondy, but I reckon Simon Hill writing an article about any O/S Aussie rules adventure & how futile that would be would get a few sensitive souls in AFL HQ up in arms.
Bondy
Guest
Nobody objects to Wally Mason writing a football article about diving there's no problem with that the only concern football supporters have is if that's the only article he's written on the sport for the duration of the six month league then it does look viciously bias against the sport. If Wally Mason writes 3-8 articles on the A League per season than we are emotionally super sensitive souls but if he only writes one article per year and its about diving and the sport is UnAustralian than that is bias against the sport its fairly simple logic .. Aussie Rules is about to embark on a game in China I never write on that sport or threads but what if I write an article at the time whilst they're in China where my article states its bound to fail and the Chinese will hate the game people will say I'm entitled to write whatever I choose but what does it look like when I never write another AFL article all year , it illustrates a clear bias and possible hatred towards the sport ..
punter
Guest
it's called AFL in Sydney, the sport.
correct sometimes
Guest
you dont agree with my point? you dont even look at the arguments, it football no matter what. Fuss made an allegation and i backed it up with a good question
Mark
Guest
The amount of deflection in your comments is both hilarious and sad.
Mark
Guest
Did you have a stroke before writing that? What a mess of a comment.
Mark
Guest
This is such a strange thing to attack a sport for. Also, AFL is the league, not the name of the sport.
Mark
Guest
The only example I can think of where this happens is when a bowler bowls a wide and the keeper attempts a stumping and they appeal to try and stop the wide being called. Hardly cheating. If it was, umpires would pull them up. But no. Every other time, mainly with LBW decisions, they appeal because they think it might be out. Definitely not cheating.
rasty
Guest
By the look of the crowds, you would of had no worries getting a beer and pie and back to your seat to watch some more A class simulations.
Freddie
Guest
It was a response to someone called Pedro MF. But yes, there's room for all sports, and many people actually follow more than one, difficult to believe I know given the code war drivel that comes out of AFL mouths. And before you respond that football fans are equally to blame, I'm yet to see an opinion piece written by a football journo that deliberately tries to inflame AFL fans in the mainstream media. It simply doesn't happen, yet AFL writers are given carte blanche to pass their half-baked opinions on "soccer" regularly. It's childish and pathetic.
Post_hoc
Guest
Northerner, it is part of the same issue. that's why, they talk of ball in motion.
northerner
Guest
Don't agree with that. The idiot was doing what all the other code warriors on this and all the other threads are doing - mindless generalisation and insults about another sport, just because it isn't one he follows. His shtick was particularly ugly in the circumstances, but the hostility to another code, and to fans of the other code, is rife in all the comments on both sides of the argument and I'm frankly fed up with it. The world has moved on from 50 or 60 years ago, and it's high time the die hards, stuck in their time warps, recognized it. The Australia of the 50s and 60s is gone. Both AFL and football fans need to understand that, and, in my experience here, most do. After all, a quarter of the population here are migrants, and most of the rest weren't even alive back then . That a few people can't get past that era is their problem; it shouldn't be the problem of younger, more progressive and, dare I suggest, broader-minded Australians who have no problem with enjoying several codes of football and don't really care whether one code is more "Australian" than another in its heritage so long as it's an entertaining game. The future of all types of football lies with them, not the single code warriors.
Post_hoc
Guest
Just leave, stop the faux interest, it's boring and paints you as a petulant child.
c
Roar Rookie
excactly kaks and they could have even covered the recent accurate results of the most participated ball sport in australia
The word
Guest
Seriously though, the city's old heart Guernsey makes a beautiful aesthetic against the empty blue seats #topofthetabletoya
The word
Guest
gold Stuart! You validate an abusive Freddie comment in one post and then you flick the switch to a serious "yes, yes we are victims" A self awareness free zone these here parts!