Splash!

flobaba

In the wake of Luis Suarez' admission to the crime of 'foul invention', and considering that the issue will probably continue to rear its head in football for quite a while, I believe the issue of diving/ play acting deserves its own thread.

It comes in many different forms...

The Luis Suarez academy for cheating plonkers:

Then, there's the Gareth Bale school, where the player is only trying to protect himself:

The Stevie G school of diving for dummies:

The Cazorla school, where the player anticipates contact and tries to lessen the impact but then, unfortunately? contact doesn't arrive:

And here's a link to a compilation from Wayne Rooney's greatest hits:
http://www.101greatgoals.com/gvideos/wayne-rooney-i-dont-dive/

Every competitive sport has players looking to gain unfair advantage. Now I do believe it's wrong, but I have accepted it as part of the game, and don't get incensed or regard it as absolutely disgusting as I know quite a few do. I have a more: "Would you look at that? he's conned the ref, well, that sucks for * insert recipient team's name here *, and for the more blatant ones, I simply lol! (yeah, i do).

What I don't like is the way foreigners are condemned as if it's unique to them, or the idea that they introduced it to the English game, and the all out inevitable witch hunt that follows.

Another issue is what degree of contact is deemed acceptable for a player to go down under? As long as it's left to the referee's discretion, there will always be this debate. As a regular player myself, there are numerous challenges I am able to shrug off and power through in the midfield to help drive an attack, which I will definitely not do if the same challenges came in the box. Does that make me a diver? I believe it's the defenders responsibility to take extra care when tackling in the box, and if they go for a tackle, they sure as hell better be sure they are going to get the ball as cleanly as possible.

Also is Suarez stupid or honest for admitting to diving?

Finally can diving ever truly be eliminated from the sport?

Edit: Poll included

Mirth

Is there an option for: I don't think it can be kicked out, I don't like it but I understand why it goes on and I'd probably do the same if I was a professional footballer?

flobaba

That sounds very much like a shrug.

Conor

Shrug. Doesn't really bother me, it happens so much I've got used to it tbh.

Qwiss

Think something should be done about it. Retro-active punishment for blatant cheating would help a lot. At the moment there is pretty much no risk in it. Although if you go overboard with the diving like Bale it'll come back to haunt you when you are really fouled.

Rex

My view is pretty much was qs just said.
There are so many instances in the game where video and retroactive actions should be used IMO.
And when they DO use it - it is to revoke a Kompany tackle that was reckless and two footed. Go figure...

Bold Tone

It's impossible for me to choose, as i have a foot in all 3 camps and agree with every single one of the replies so far!

Mello

YOu have three feet?

Biggus

qs! wrote:
Think something should be done about it. Retro-active punishment for blatant cheating would help a lot. At the moment there is pretty much no risk in it. Although if you go overboard with the diving like Bale it'll come back to haunt you when you are really fouled.

No the last thing we want is a "special commissioner for diving" to investigate every incident.

@ Rex not really relevant but its good that they did review the Kompany case As Dean got it wrong.

Bold Tone

Mello wrote:
YOu have three feet?

Just boasting!

Burnwinter

Video evidence and post-match tribunal and suspensions would have an immediate impact. Widely used in other sports so they should just do it.

kamikaze

it would be easy too. if there's no contact at all and the guy flops, as opposed to losing his balance because he took his weight off his foot anticipating a bad tackle, then you get suspended. out of the gifs in the OP, i would've suspended all of them except for suarez, ironically.

i hate cheating and i find it very strange that some cultures don't even just accept it, but applaud it.

Klaus

Defenders cheat all the time too; often much worse albeit less obvious than strikers do. Look at what Flores did to Walcott in the game the other night. Subtle grab around the ankle as he went down which put Theo off balance (and ironically enough almost got him carded for simulation). If you're going to break down hard on diving you need to be equally tough on the dipshits who try to gain advantages by elbowing, kicking or tugging other people's shirts.

Mello

Hadn't though of that before actually. Good idea.

Biggus

Klaus wrote:
Defenders cheat all the time too; often much worse albeit less obvious than strikers do. Look at what Flores did to Walcott in the game the other night. Subtle grab around the ankle as he went down which put Theo off balance (and ironically enough almost got him carded for simulation). If you're going to break down hard on diving you need to be equally tough on the dipshits who try to gain advantages by elbowing, kicking or tugging other people's shirts.

Exactly- Cheating and fouling are cheating and fouling- all the laws of the game are clear they just need consistent enforcement, if Kos was sent off and a penalty awarded there should be a sending off and a penalty awarded at every game where there is a corner kick because that exact same thing will go on.

We don't need special punishments for diving special punishments for time wasting special punishments for pretending to be seriously hurt etc.......

Burnwinter

I guess we're talking about events on the field that the referee can't be expected ever to see clearly, though Biggs - that's what warrants the discussion of video evidence.

The point is there's so much stuff that would or wouldn't have been a penalty that simply goes unnoticed and no way to do much about it, and it probably decides about 5-10% of matches eh?

Biggus

Dunno mate theres something inherently unfair and sneaky about video evidence, a bit like speed cameras- It's double jeopardy and like goal line technology where will it end? Will every bloody throw in be challenged and recompense demanded?

I'm a great believer in everything being sorted out on the pitch by the ref not by lawyers in a tribunal.

Burnwinter

What's sneakier Biggs, ubiquitous cheating or video evidence?

One of the problems with football though (as opposed to say AFL) is that the cheating so often relates to incidents like penalties that actually determine the outcome of the match.

Biggus

Well refs just have to get tough and yellow (and indeed red if already on a yellow) card divers as they are supposed to.

Burnwinter

They can't actually see every dive, that's the point. And some things which appear to be dives clearly aren't with the benefit of slow motion replay.

Refs are already rather proactive about penalising players when they're actually sure they've dived.