The new disease

There is a disease that is infiltrating football at all levels: play-acting.

This is a nice word for an act on the field of play that is threatening the very fabric of our game. It was prevalent in the World Cup and, as a direct result, is now in all levels of our game. This is the first season I have actually cautioned a player for ‘diving’ and unfortunately it was not long before he was followed by another.

What may look like a penalty to the spectator in the crowd some 100 metres away, may look totally different from 10 metres away on the same level. It is true that some players have always made more from an incident than there was and tried to con the referee. but now it has become different. I can remember a player calling for a penalty then, realising he was not going to get anything, laughing and saying it was worth a try.

Much more serious than it used to be

Now, players are not only seeking a decision that has no merit at all, but they are actually convincing themselves that they are right - to the point where they receive cautions for dissent. Often the result of this kind of action is one in which members of both teams square up to each because of acrimonious taunting over the so-called ‘dive’.

Unfortunately, the only option open to many officials is to caution for the act but the danger is that you are openly calling the player a cheat, as opposed to having the friendly word in the ear. There is one other option and that is to openly laugh at the player as he feigns injury, but then that brings its own dangers for the referee.

The answer? I don’t honestly know. As long as players unfairly win decisions there is always room for the unscrupulous player. If a player continues in this way then he ends up losing all credibility and often carries the mark of a cheat wherever he appears.

John Moore

© J Moore 1998

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