Diving in Football

[Les-TA-Jon]

Diving in football - Discuss!

Gareth Bale Rejects Diving Accusations

Diving in football seems to be suffering from a lot of misinterpretation from managers, players, fans and referees right now. We constantly here stuff such as Bale's quotes: "People keep saying I'm diving, but if there's contact it's not diving. Referees need to look more closely.

Hmm....you can still dive if there's contact mate. There's no such thing as a booking for diving. It's a booking for simulation.

If you're making a run and get clipped and go down like you've been shot - that's simulation. A few weeks back Torres got a 2nd booking for the same thing - yes there was contact BUT it was still simulation.

I think people need to get real - it's not a non-contact sport.

We often here stuff like 'but there was contact' - so what? If you go down and you didn't genuinely fall over due to the contact it's still cheating and simulation. Under this criteria there's 100s of dives/simulations every week.

I think players needs to do more to not go down when they've only been clipped and I think referees need to do a lot more to give free kicks/penalties even when the player doesn't go down. Pretty much 90+% of all fouls given nowadays are when the player has gone down.

[bmt]

We often here stuff like 'but there was contact' - so what? If you go down and you didn't genuinely fall over due to the contact it's still cheating and simulation. Under this criteria there's 100s of dives/simulations every week.

If somebody comes in with a knee high two footer and you dive and go down because of trying to not get injured I don't see that as cheating, and the player coming in like that should also be punished. Saying that pundits keep saying that's what Bale does and I rarely agree.

[AdamN]

I think players needs to do more to not go down when they've only been clipped and I think referees need to do a lot more to give free kicks/penalties even when the player doesn't go down. Pretty much 90+% of all fouls given nowadays are when the player has gone down.

That's the problem really. If a player doesn't 'dive' when there has been illegal contact, then a foul is very rarely given, therefore players will feel the need to go to ground to win the free kick/penalty that's rightly theirs. Unfortunately that in turn leads referees to believe that if a player doesn't go down, then it's unlikely any contact was made, and therefore there was no foul. It's a vicious circle, really.

[Harry - LCFC]

Totally agree. I hate it when the excuse "but there was contact" is used, so fvcking what?! The contact has to be enough to knock you off balance for it to be a foul.

[anotherharboroughfox]

If the referee doesn't think there's sufficient contact he should not have to make a decision that a player dived, that should be dealt with after the game with videos and fines/bans handed out to players who are diving. It's too much pressure on the ref if he has to book a player if he thinks they've dived.

It's basically the same as a referee missing a foul, or not giving one, because it's in the opinion of the referee.

[AdamN]

The contact has to be enough to knock you off balance for it to be a foul.

Anyone who's ever been slightly clipped when taking a shot will know exactly how much a very small amount of contact can put you off. Football's a game about skill and finesse (unless you're Sam Allardyce), so fouls shouldn't be limited to bone crunching slide tackles. A defender clipping at your heels can be just as effective as one rugby tackling you.

[ousefox]

Whether or not he did dive on the weekend, I have no sympathy for him. The reason he keeps getting booked for diving is because he did dive originally. He's got the reputation because of his own actions, and has been punished for having that reputation. Hopefully it'll put a few more players off diving in the first place.

[Harry - LCFC]

Anyone who's ever been slightly clipped when taking a shot will know exactly how much a very small amount of contact can put you off. Football's a game about skill and finesse (unless you're Sam Allardyce), so fouls shouldn't be limited to bone crunching slide tackles. A defender clipping at your heels can be just as effective as one rugby tackling you.

What you've just said doesn't really disagree with what I wrote, I think if it knocks you off balance then it's a foul - but if you get put off by a little touch then that's your problem and something you have to accept when you play a contact sport. We can't be giving fouls for every little touch just because the striker would prefer to have a free shot on goal, if a defender leans into the striker to put him off or shoulder barges him then I think that's acceptable and within the laws of the game.

However, if the defender's hands or feet are used to knock someone off balance then they've probably fouled them.

[Kitchandro]

Diving in football - Discuss!

Gareth Bale Rejects Diving Accusations

Diving in football seems to be suffering from a lot of misinterpretation from managers, players, fans and referees right now. We constantly here stuff such as Bale's quotes: "People keep saying I'm diving, but if there's contact it's not diving. Referees need to look more closely.

Hmm....you can still dive if there's contact mate. There's no such thing as a booking for diving. It's a booking for simulation.

If you're making a run and get clipped and go down like you've been shot - that's simulation. A few weeks back Torres got a 2nd booking for the same thing - yes there was contact BUT it was still simulation.

I think people need to get real - it's not a non-contact sport.

We often here stuff like 'but there was contact' - so what? If you go down and you didn't genuinely fall over due to the contact it's still cheating and simulation. Under this criteria there's 100s of dives/simulations every week.

I think players needs to do more to not go down when they've only been clipped and I think referees need to do a lot more to give free kicks/penalties even when the player doesn't go down. Pretty much 90+% of all fouls given nowadays are when the player has gone down.

Couldn't agree more. Bale is full of shit. Great player, but he's a cheat and he knows it.

It's a shame Alan Hansen, an old school footballer, keeps coming out with 'he's entitled to go down'.

Yes, referees should try and be fairer towards attackers, they give everything if a goalkeeper is touched but when someone's running with the ball and clearly impeded they often let it go. However, this doesn't give players the right to cheat. Two wrongs don't make a right.

[Yojoe36]

Bale talking utter shit. It's also a disgrace to say that he's British, and not some typical poncy European player.

The FA should crack down on diving and issue punishments retrospectively.

[Haydos]

Whether or not he did dive on the weekend, I have no sympathy for him. The reason he keeps getting booked for diving is because he did dive originally. He's got the reputation because of his own actions, and has been punished for having that reputation. Hopefully it'll put a few more players off diving in the first place.

So if someone does something once they should be judged by that act forever?

[Kitchandro]

So if someone does something once they should be judged by that act forever?

No, but he's the boy who cried wolf. He's done it far more than once, and whilst it would be wrong if he actually was unfairly treated, if you've brought it on yourself I don't know why anyone should feel any sympathy. Especially as he fails to acknowledge that he has brought it on himself when he whinges.

He did dive against Sunderland anyway, he got a slight touch and then clearly went down unnaturally.

[Super_horns]

Its all about reputations...if they didn't dive in the first place officials wouldn't think they have done again.

[Bryn]

It bugs me that you never see a referee give a foul whilst penalising the attacker for diving, which they are perfectly entitled to do. The law is against simulation, not against diving per se, therefore a defender can commit a foul but the fouled player can still be booked if he exaggerates.

[Les-TA-Jon]

It bugs me that you never see a referee give a foul whilst penalising the attacker for diving, which they are perfectly entitled to do. The law is against simulation, not against diving per se, therefore a defender can commit a foul but the fouled player can still be booked if he exaggerates.

This. Look at the penalty Aston Villa won in the 2-2 draw with Swansea.

The player was clearly fouled, but he still dives.

[Carl the Llama]

Whenever this disc

I think players needs to do more to not go down when they've only been clipped and I think referees need to do a lot more to give free kicks/penalties even when the player doesn't go down. Pretty much 90+% of all fouls given nowadays are when the player has gone down.

This this this.

I don't think anybody needs reminding of the hacking and slicing Rooney battled through in the world cup quarters vs Portugal immediately prior to being red carded for that stamp - a foul which would never have occurred had the ref done his job. But in case you do: