FIFA U20 WORLD CUP - The dive is still well and truly alive

[Green Diet]

Just been to the Serbia v Hungary match at Dunedin, NZ with my kids. Here I am trying to explain to my kids why players dive, argue with the ref and pretend to be hurt; it is a real blight on our game and I see my kids frowning at the explanation I give them. Most of the fans at the game are first and foremost rugby supporters so they are used to tough tackles and players just getting up and getting on with the game. The fans at the game were shaking their heads and jeering at the Prima Donna players when the antics happened. Its just not a good look for the game and it turns fans off the sport. It's obvious the players are coached to do this, which is sad.

Unfortunately until the refs/authorities commit to changing the players' behaviour through tougher use of yellow/red cards and retrospectively punishing them after reviewing games then nothing is going to change.

[Danderhall Hibs]

I know what you're saying and I think the refs could help out. One way would be if they gave a free kick for a foul, whether or not the player falls over - by doing what they're doing they're encouraging the "I've been touched, I'm entitled to go down" mentality.

[SonOfDavidFrancey]

Neymar. How about a yellow card if you roll over more than once...

[Keith_M]

I've got a mate who plays amateur football here in Munich (just guys playing after work for the fun of it) and he says it came as a shock to him when he started as to how often the locals would dive and roll about the ground looking for a foul or penalty.

I mean, these are meaningless games meant to be played for fun but it seems to be ingrained in the culture to cheat.

[dangermouse]

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I've got a mate who plays amateur football here in Munich (just guys playing after work for the fun of it) and he says it came as a shock to him when he started as to how often the locals would dive and roll about the ground looking for a foul or penalty.

I mean, these are meaningless games meant to be played for fun but it seems to be ingrained in the culture to cheat.

I play 11 aside on a Wednesday and there is one guy who tends to go down easily looking for a free kick/penalty. Any time he does it now we all just laugh at him and he gets nothing. He was even denied a stonewall penalty a few weeks back because of his reputation.

[lyonhibs]

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I've got a mate who plays amateur football here in Munich (just guys playing after work for the fun of it) and he says it came as a shock to him when he started as to how often the locals would dive and roll about the ground looking for a foul or penalty.

I mean, these are meaningless games meant to be played for fun but it seems to be ingrained in the culture to cheat.

Same in Switzerland. I play in a 11 a-side league, so the games do "mean something" but it's still mainly for fun. I'm not a big guy, and to see some of the chunks I play against hit the deck like a sack of tatties, often starting to complain to the ref whilst literally on the way down, is quite something to witness.

My mastery of German insults has increased exponentially as a result, so it's not all bad. These chaps wouldn't enjoy the games of 5 a-side I played at the Townhead 5 a-side pitches in Uni.

[HIBERNIAN-0762]

It's getting epidemic now and FIFA have to really start clamping down on it, also all this card waving at the Referee which I though was a bookable offence, seems not of recent matches.

[Oscar T Grouch]

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It's getting epidemic now and FIFA have to really start clamping down on it, also all this card waving at the Referee which I though was a bookable offence, seems not of recent matches.

FIFA do something for the good of football, now that's the best joke I have heard in a while

[Haymaker]

I was coaching the other day and the players was 1v1 with the defender, knocks the ball slightly too far ahead and the defender nicks it off him, no contact. Nice and easy. The player then threw himself, arms spread wide, onto his belly going "ref! ref!"


He was 6.

[Sylar]

I play every Sunday with a group of Iranians here at the University - it's a 7 to 10 aside friendly kickabout at our University sports park and they're mostly all students/postdocs/lecturers having a bit of fun.

I get absolutely disgusted with how easily they'll go down or how much they start cheating when they're on the side that's behind - we only roughly keep score but we have regular arguments (mostly in Persian, so I have no understanding of what's going on) and occasionally it results in fisticuffs! They also feign such offense if you accuse them of lying/dishonesty because they're all devout Muslims but that's exactly what they're doing!

When I was younger and played for my local club in West Lothian, we had a coach who specifically taught us the 'nasty' side of the game, including discreet shirt pulling, standing on opponents achilles heels at corners etc, landing studs down on a player if they put a bad tackle in...safe to say, they weren't tactics I ever used but every club were 'conditioned' to these antics because every other club used them.

I despair by how low footballers and the wider footballing culture sinks to secure success.

[ben johnson]

Played 7 a side in Turkey with a number of teams inc a team made up of Resort reps. Guy was 25ish and played for Turkey under 18s at many a national tournament. Fast as lightning and ball skills to die for but you could not go near him as he just fell over. He had special blade boots on to give him more grip. In the end he was just ignored no matter what happened. We had a team of Irish / Scots / English and a Palestinian. We all took turns to mark him and he bleated long into the night as he was carried back up to the pool area. The big Scots guy who marked him the most then proceeded to burst his nose with his elbow at the next days water polo.

[Geo_1875]

Fannies the lot of them. However, the authorities are to blame as they have gone from one extreme to another in their efforts to protect the prima donnas. The only way to redress the balance is to use retrospective punishment when the cheats are caught on camera. That should mean punishing the team as well as the player. It won't happen.

[matty_f]

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I know what you're saying and I think the refs could help out. One way would be if they gave a free kick for a foul, whether or not the player falls over - by doing what they're doing they're encouraging the "I've been touched, I'm entitled to go down" mentality.

Spot on, IMHO. The amount of times where a player has stayed on his feet despite being fouled, and then got nothing from the ref, is unreal. If refs gave the free-kicks when players stay on their feet there would be less need to roll about pretending you've been shot.

[Keith_M]

The issue is that the Clubs, and lots of Pundits, back the Players.

I'm sick of hearing phrases like, "there was contact, so it's a free-kick/penalty".

Can you imagine if people threw themselves to the ground in the Street or the Supermarket ever time they brushed past or bumped into somebody? It'd be mayhem

Oh and I agree with the other Poster that said the Players should get suspensions based on how many rolls they do after a 'Foul'. One game for diving plus one additional game for each roll.


Here's a few players that should just be flogged

[Eyrie]

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Spot on, IMHO. The amount of times where a player has stayed on his feet despite being fouled, and then got nothing from the ref, is unreal. If refs gave the free-kicks when players stay on their feet there would be less need to roll about pretending you've been shot.

The advantage rule needs to be extended then.

In rugby (cue moans from the narrow minded) play can continue for a couple of phases to see if an advantage is gained, or longer for a penalty offense. If football gave 10-15 seconds for an advantage then players would be more willing to stay on their feet to see if anything can happen, knowing that the ref will still give them the foul anyway.

[Danderhall Hibs]

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The advantage rule needs to be extended then.

In rugby (cue moans from the narrow minded) play can continue for a couple of phases to see if an advantage is gained, or longer for a penalty offense. If football gave 10-15 seconds for an advantage then players would be more willing to stay on their feet to see if anything can happen, knowing that the ref will still give them the foul anyway.

football's advantage rule is rubbish. Rugby's can go on for too long.

Somewhere in the middle would be perfect.

[Jonnyboy]

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The issue is that the Clubs, and lots of Pundits, back the Players.

I'm sick of hearing phrases like, "there was contact, so it's a free-kick/penalty".

Can you imagine if people threw themselves to the ground in the Street or the Supermarket ever time they brushed past or bumped into somebody? It'd be mayhem

Oh and I agree with the other Poster that said the Players should get suspensions based on how many rolls they do after a 'Foul'. One game for diving plus one additional game for each roll.


Here's a few players that should just be flogged

McGregor should be on there, after trying to get Deek sent off!

[MWHIBBIES]

TV replays and straight red for diving, would stop in a week.

[mjhibby]

What's worse is the young kids are copying. There's one wee laddie at my wee boys school who is a very quick skilful player who if he is slightly nudged goes spinning then picks the ball up expecting a free kick and is then shocked when he doesn't get it. Also another wee guy who is brilliant at spinning having been tackled and fools a lot of refs. Fortunately most refs and coaches are wise to it now and he gets a round of applause and no pen or foul so he very rarely tries it now. Three match ban needed. The only problem is if the dive has won the team the game,especially a vital game, you can't change the result which could mean titles won and teams relegated but the guys taking one for the team. If we don't get a grip soon it will be so ingrained in the culture it will be very hard to get rid of.