Sharp eyed supporters at the Reading v Sheffield United game at the Madejski Stadium, will have noticed amongst the vociferous United coaching team, Gary Speed, who until recently held the Premier League appearance record as a player. Since moving down a level with Sheffield however, he has said what he enjoys about the Championship is the honesty of the players. ‘You don’t get players faking this and faking that,’ he claimed. It’s an honest division. If some players did roll around in mock agony they’d soon be told to cut it out by their own team mates. It just wouldn’t be tolerated.’
I just hope he’s right, because without doubt the cheating and rolling about in agony has plagued the top levels of the game for many seasons. One of the worst offenders in the English game, Ronaldo, has transferred his allegiance to Spanish football but there are still a few plying their trade in the Premiership. Didier Drogba for instance. One of the most difficult players to get off the ball because of his sheer body strength, but when he gets in the penalty area he can be blown over by a puff of wind.
And now of course we must add the name of Arsenal’s Eduardo after his couple of dives in the Arsenal v Celtic Champions' League preliminary. UEFA has suspended Eduardo for his action in gaining the penalty but I have to mention that they were noticeably silent over Messi’s more blatant dive in the Champions' League final for Barcelona against Manchester United. Was this because he failed to deceive the referee or are there other forces at
work. Remember, under the law, it is the attempt by a player to deceive the referee that is the offence.
What people and in particular players like
these fail to understand, is that they just make decision-making more difficult for referees and in the long run it’s the game that suffers.
Referees have to judge at any incident whether a foul has been committed. He has to make the judgement, was contact made and who initiated that contact, and all in a matter of seconds. There is no second look, no slow motion replay. Wouldn’t it be great if as Gary Speed suggested, the referee could rely on the player’s honesty. If a player goes down, it’s the tackle that has brought him down. If he writhes in agony it is because he has been hurt. Until that happens referees are going to make mistakes both ways
The television cameras at a Premiership game seemed first to show that referee Phil Dowd was correct when he awarded a penalty to Everton against newcomers Burnley. Everton’s Tony Hibbert broke into the penalty area and looked to be brought down by Chris McCann’s outstretched leg. However,
the television replay suggested that McCann pulled out of the tackle and that there was no, or at the most, minimal contact made, certainly not enough to have caused Hibbert to have fallen over.
The interesting thing to me was the comment by Lee Dixon, the
BBC's television pundit. ‘Looking at Phil Dowd’s position, perfectly placed, he should have spotted that.’ So it was the referee who got the blame. But what about the perpetrator of the con, no word of castigation. Instead there is now the curious act of team-mates congratulating the player for
"winning the penalty" even if it is obtained fraudulently. But it was the diver who had cheated, who had committed a dishonest act whilst the referee, who made an honest decision, takes the rap.
According to Tony Mowbray, manager of Celtic, Arsenal’s Eduardo dived against his team but the following weekend, he claimed that Celtic’s Alden McGeady did not, despite clear evidence that he did. Who did he blame in both instances? Yes, you’re right – the referee.