Rolling around trying to get the opposition sent off when the guy stepped on you is pretty fucking low? If I recall correctly that's even the same ankle that he had his surgery on three months ago.

It's blatant cheating, Jones to exaggerate contact to that degree. Layun is no better but I'd have been quite happy to see both of them booked.

I think Layuns action was a lot worse. Neymars behaviour is unsporting (and at the same time necessitated by refs being unable to spot everything) but Layun was trying to injure him, there's a clear gap between the two.

Exaggerating contact might be ugly but why should you allow an opponent to remain on the pitch for trying some shit like that. Also Neymar has in the past reacted to stuff like that and gotten himself sent off for it so it's clear what Layuns angle here was. I think the reaction should never be punished as severely as the action leading to it

If he don't dive so easily and roll around on every small contact will opponent be so keen to "injure" him and kick the lump out of him? I think not. Messi hardly has so many incidents during Neymar's age.

jones wrote:

I think Layuns action was a lot worse. Neymars behaviour is unsporting (and at the same time necessitated by refs being unable to spot everything) but Layun was trying to injure him, there's a clear gap between the two.

Exaggerating contact might be ugly but why should you allow an opponent to remain on the pitch for trying some shit like that. Also Neymar has in the past reacted to stuff like that and gotten himself sent off for it so it's clear what Layuns angle here was. I think the reaction should never be punished as severely as the action leading to it

Don't get me wrong, by the letter of the law Layun should be off. The law also says that a dive/conning the referee is a yellow card so the punishment is proportional (although I would say that more dangerous tackles should carry longer bans but that's a separate issue). But these sort of theatrics makes it less likely that players who are out to injure Neymar will be punished. The same thing happened with C.Ronaldo in his early days since referees had notes and were less willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Moreover, Neymar has put a cross on his own back this tournament - sure he's been fouled a lot (although all fouls are not equal) but by diving against Costa Rica, in a challenge that was no threat to his physical health, most pundits already had him in their cross hairs. He's subsequently doubled down on it and, as the last superstar left in the tournament, people will talk about him in much more detail than anyone else - in a positive or negative way. As I say, I understand why Neymar did it but I have no sympathy for him nor do I particularly feel his case is unique enough to justify his unsporting behaviour.

Fair enough I can agree with most of that. I still think that most pundits are Neanderthals which hate Neymar more for looking like a teenage popstar and being better at football than they ever were, ie the Cro-Magnon Neville and his stance towards Rosicky

Have to agree with Coombs here, no yellow for bad fouls, no yellow for diving, no reason for Neymar to not dive. Do a better job refereeing and we see less of this shit.

There need to be more sendings off in general. It'll open up the game and make it more entertaining. No reason not to play 10 v 10 on the regular. Stop banning so much for game after the fact, make the game we're actually playing a bit better.

10v10 doesn't happen often because the team with the man advantage switches play style

Yeah if anything 9v11 is more likely than 10v10 with aggressive carding.

Refs already look to even things up, I doubt that'd be the case.

I don't have the numbers, but unless it's a particularly nasty, hot tempered game I don't think you'll end up with 10 players on both sides. As Jones said, the team with an advantage would automatically change their approach and take fewer risks with the referee.

Could've, and probably should've, been a sending off for both Uruguay and France today. Once again some really cowardly refereeing.