Go into any one of Cristiano Ronaldo’s 27 houses and on the bookshelf, next to Gabriel Villa’s The Metrosexual Man, you will find a worn-out copy of Stanislavski’s An Actor Prepares.
If you had of popped your head into Portugal’s dressing room before any match during the World Cup, you will have seen Ronaldo lighting a candle and praying under a framed photo of the great Marlon Brando.
This might seem like strange behaviour for a footballer, but sadly, he’s not Robinson Crusoe. The ‘art’ of diving in football has become commonplace and something people expect to see multiple times every match.
It turns out that this No.10 from Middleton Town in the featured video has been bitten by the acting bug too.
In a performance that would make Nicholas Cage blush, the theatre-loving midfielder fervently flings himself to the ground after being savagely brushed by his opponent’s… fingertip.
So what’s the pesticide for this dastardly bug?
It’s cheese. Good old wholesome cheese.
Law 12.3 says that a player must be cautioned (i.e. shown a yellow card) if they attempt “…to deceive the referee e.g. by feigning injury or pretending to have been fouled (simulation).”
However, just like The Sopranos, it cuts to black before we find out if our anti-hero got his comeuppance.
He’s been taking plenty of lessons from Ronaldo, Neymar and, who can forget, the devastating impact on the back of Pepe that sent him into a world of pain.
So we’ll let you be the judge, Roarers.
Is this a foul or a dive? An Oscar or a Razzie?
Let us know in the comments.
Post_hoc
Roar Rookie
wow, clearly I have hit the nerve, to pull out I work so you can watch football, pretty pathetic come back. But hey Mr AFL what else do we expect from you
Post_hoc
Roar Rookie
MQ, not a case of agreeing or disagreeing, what it is questioning why a person who hates football spends so much time on here.
Nemesis
Guest
@Buddy I refuse to pass on my parenting responsibilities to someone else. If my kids are behaving inappropriately, I'm not going to blame Neymar, or the teacher, or coach, or the lady at the school crossing .. the fault is mine & my wife (ok, it's more my wife's fault since she won't be reading this :-) ).
stu
Guest
Connor, you are correct regarding the controversy around 'diving'. In simple terms those who do not follow the sport use this issue as the full stop at the end of each sentence as to why the game will never succeed (where). However, supporters of the game do embrace everything else that is of interest in the game. So if you use the singular argument, why get involved. please don't use the 'we make them tough in Australia' which is so much based on a falicy.
Buddy
Guest
Nem - I have to say I feel a certain embarrassment when I see stuff like that though and I know that what goes on when the game is on show to the world does have an effect. A few weeks ago my junior side came up against a team we would usually roll quite comfortably. Early in the second half a wicked deflection sent us 2-1 behind and a few minutes after that there was a clash between 2 players. One went down in a theatrical heap. The game stopped and after being talked to by parents and coach, an ambulance was called. Usual things apply and the ambulance took around 50 minutes to arrive so the game was abandoned and recorded as a 2-1 win. The paramedics arrived, examined the boy and must have laid hands on him or something similar as he got up off the floor, walked away to his parent's car and of course they won - where did that come from?
Jarijari
Guest
Neymar's definitely the one to beat for the Yellow Ball.
Nemesis
Guest
Don't like Neymar's theatrics & it puts you off watching sokkah? Fine. Move on. No one gives a stuff if you don't want to watch. Go watch a sport where players bash each other. Now, that's what I call fun. Apparently, bashing is now part of basketball, so, if you don't like Neymar go watch Aussie Rules, Rugby, RL, Basketball. Leave us to enjoy the boring, low scoring, diving, cheating, prima donnas who play sokkah.
MQ
Guest
People, let it go, you're not going to agree with every opinion on an opinion site, you're going to be very busy if you have to respond in harsh terms towards every opinion you don't like.
chris
Guest
steveg isnt there a SOO coming up for you to comment on? Doesnt that represent the pinnacle of sporting achievements for you? Why waste your precious time commenting on a sport you clearly dislike? All you ever do is post negative comments and never anything positive. We can take criticism from people who genuinely care about the game but you are obviously not one of those people. And yes we can handle the truth : ) Just not from supporters of minor sports.
steveng
Roar Rookie
Some of us have to work Post_hoc (to support you) who can afford the time to watch these games all night and mornings!
steveng
Roar Rookie
What a clown you must be Post_hoc, you should seriously go and see a head shrink, there is something very wrong with your information and imagination. Your accusations are baseless and totally untrue, just like your knowledge of your posts. Its very apparent what you are trying to do and its not working.
Post_hoc
Roar Rookie
How do i know you don't like football? Because you are only ever on Negative articles or on general discussion which you bring negativity to. I just had a quick look, there are two posts running today on the games from last night. I assumed you must have watched the Brazil game after all you seemed to be all over the Neymar incident, but had a quick look, nothing on any of the game coverage threads, same again for the Belgium Japan game absolutely no comments on what could be considered one of the great games of this world cup (so far) I suspect the reason you are not on that was because their was nothing negative to say. So don't try and claim you like football, your actions show what you really think. The fact you don't talk about games that don't have controversy shows your true colours.
Post_hoc
Roar Rookie
So Mr AFL, why are you here under a new name, that is what i can't work out. You have said yourself you are a fan of other sports, thereby not of Football. So I really can't work out why you needed a new name again, you tried a much maligned Goalkeeper with the badge of a defunct A League team, now you chose an NRL team with a suitably sounding Football name. Why do you spend so much time on football tabs, clearly you don't like the game
Kangas
Roar Rookie
There’s a fair bit of simulation in other Aussie sports Joel Selwood comes to mind Jordy buis from Sydney fc was a terrible example this season in the A league It won’t stop until they get suspended
steveng
Roar Rookie
Hang on there, i didn't say that soccer is bad, when did I say that? You blokes must be very sensitive??? Its very apparent that all you so called egg spurts on soccer cant take the truth. If you really believe that what Neymar did is acceptable and is good for your sport than you should accept the ridicule of fans of other sports! You must be just as blind as your mate '‘Post_hoc’.
MQ
Guest
I agree that a penalty is often too big a reward (or punishment), for something which is often 50/50, but I don't think your proposed solutions hit the mark, because the flip side is that defenders often get away with a lot, especially during set pieces, so we don't need to embolden them any more.
chris
Guest
Phil who can ever forget referee Merkel in 2006 when Aus played Brazil? A sycophant of the highest order and you are right, "big" teams are treated differently to the "little" teams.
chris
Guest
Steve the only time you comment is to say how bad football is so maybe best to just stick to league where you have enough problems of your own.
chris
Guest
axe I hope its not a "if you can't beat them join them" from the Swedes. Im not against players accentuating a foul because, as I've stated before, it only takes a minor nudge or push to put a player off from executing a pass or a shot etc. What I cant stand is players like Neymar looking like they've had a leg amputated at the mere sight of a defender.
Oldpsyco
Guest
The remedy is to remove the reward for diving. Get rid of the Penalty Kick! more often than not the punishment is far too great for the crime. A player brushing against another or accidental hand ball, or accidental trip in the box is not worth a goal! The reward for going to ground to too high. Get rid of Penalties altogether. Everything becomes an Indirect Free Kick, with the requirement being it must be touched by another attacking player, not a defender. Either that or Mover the Penalty Spot out to 25 Metres! It sounds drastic, but think it through, Diving & Penalties are ruining the game, Strikers no longer play to score goals, they play for the touch so they can fall down. Get it out of the game, it is not football!