ARGUMENTS FOR DIVING
#1: Gain an Advantage:
Football is worth a lot of money these days. What winning promotion from the Championship to the Premier League could do for a club is staggering. For example, the 2016 play-off final is worth a minimum of £170 million. This could rise to £290 million if the team avoid the drop. If a player is running through on goal in the 90th minute and could potentially win the play off for their respective team, he will of course go down at the slightest contact. Is this fair? Debateable. Will the manager of the team be happy? Certainly, if it means they win.
FIFA’s laws of the game regarding diving are subjective and on any given day a referee can interpret them in a number of ways. One referee may feel a certain challenge is over the top while another may feel it is perfectly acceptable. In FIFA’s words simulation is an act of creating a false/wrong impression that something has happened when it has not.
If a referee has come to the decision that a player has been tackled in a serious and unfair way, when in actual fact they have playacted, then that team may receive a penalty or a free kick in an advantageous position. This will only enhance the view that players should dive as they see other players/ teams are winning their team points.
This means that a player who simulated can make the most of the slightest contact and hope to gain an edge over their opponent. In essence, they are trying to con the referee, who does not have the advantage of 50 or so cameras at his disposal.
At the end of the day, the players want to win the match. Some will do whatever they can to win, whether fairly or not. A perfect example of this is Chelsea’s Diego Costa. This man knows exactly how to play the rules of the game. Costa walks the line perfectly; he knows when to play act – but the important thing is he knows when to reel his head in. He will do whatever it takes to win a game, even though many will disagree with the fashion in which he behaves.
#2: Will referees give the foul?
This is not the way it should be. Players should not be forced into going over in order to get their free kick or penalty. This is why it is so difficult for referees these days – they are constantly having to try and separate a dive from the real thing.
If the players knew that they would get their free kick or penalty without having to hit the deck, then perhaps there would be a reduction in the number of dives we see? But there is a niggling thought in the back of every players head as they sprint towards goal – I am not going to be awarded a penalty unless I go over…
If referees start to give more penalties without the need for players to throw themselves to the ground, one can only hope that there will be less diving incidents throughout the world of football.
ARGUMENTS AGAINST DIVING
#1 Illegal:
Players who dive are not only cheating the rules and the referee, they are cheating their opponents. Football is all about testing each individual’s ability week in week out – it is not about seeing how well they can simulate and gain an unfair advantage over their opponents. Diving undermines the whole concept of football and what makes it such a special sport.
A player being awarded a decision from diving can significantly alter the entire outcome of a match. Imagine, 90 minutes of football being decided because of a dive. Wouldn’t you be livid if it happened against your team? Wouldn’t you want something done?
Players who dive are consciously breaking the rules, even if they feel they are doing it for the “right reasons” i.e. winning the match. When they step out on the pitch to perform, they accept that there are a number of rules which must be upheld in order for a match to be controlled. So why is this one overlooked by them?
#2 Unsportsmanlike:
People may argue, ‘oh, but, both teams can dive, therefore it is okay’. Well, in my opinion, it certainly is not. Just because diving is a practice that is open to both teams does not in any way justify it. Simulation should certainly not just become acceptable simply because one team feels they need to do it in order to win a football match. Arguing that ‘everyone can do it’ does not determine how appropriate the action is. Diving is as much against the rules as sneakily tripping a player up or stomping on their foot while the referee is not looking. Just because it is common does not mean it can be justified.
So, what can be done to slow down (or even eradicate completely) this problem that has taken football by storm? Here are two simple solutions…
#1 Live Video Replay:
Yes, there will be more stoppages in play as the officials look back at the incident. But wouldn’t it be worth it? To make sure that the match reaches the correct outcome? Definitely, in my book.
Yes, it will be expensive to implement in some places where funds aren’t widely available, but for the more popular league such as the Premier League, Championship, La Liga, Champions League etc., it could certainly be used.
If the referee is not 100% certain about a decision, then a one minute break is all it would take to ensure the correct decision is made. Surely that’s what we all want?
#2 Retrospective Action:
I guarantee that if hard retrospective action is taken against the player by the governing body (e.g. in England, the F.A.) then diving will be stomped out very quickly. For example, banning a player for a period of time. If a player is banned for 3 games for every blatant dive, then do you think their manager will be happy with them? Definitely not, their manager will be in their ear constantly warning them against diving, or suffer the consequences.
Another potential retrospective action that could be taken would to hit the players where it hurts – their pockets. Imagine fining a player £20,000 for every dive they commit – they’d stop pretty soon wouldn’t you think?
Whenever a player gets away with diving, or is celebrated by the fans, then the integrity of the sport must be called into question. Diving should be frowned upon by fans from all over the world, as well as the athletes who partake in the beautiful game. The more that diving is not celebrated, the more it is condemned, then perhaps we will notice a change in the number of dives we see on a weekly basis. Irrespective of whether the player is wearing your favourite team’s jersey or not – diving has no place in football.
Author: Kevin Whiteacre.
4th Year BB (Hons) in Recreation and Sport Management.