Yeah, speaking as a referee, it’s a bit of a vicious cycle, and trying to decide exactly where the beginning of that cycle is can be difficult. Did it start with referees trying to let the players play, and not stopping the game for fouls that weren’t “obvious”, causing players to try and make fouls look more “obvious”, causing referees to call those fouls, leading to players deciding to dive? Or did it start with players exaggerating fouls to try and get a whistle, causing referees to be skeptical of apparent fouls, leading to players having to embellish just to draw a whistle, etc.?
Part of the trouble, too, is that the definition of the fouls in Law XII has changed a bit over the years, despite the assumption by many that what the IFAB wants called a foul hasn’t really changed. For example, tripping now is only a foul if it is done “carelessly, recklessly, or with disproportionate force”. “Carelessly” is defined as “when a player shows a lack of attention or consideration when making a challenge or acts without precaution.” This really muddles the water with respect to when tripping someone up is a foul. The same standard applies to tackling or challenging for the ball. But holding an opponent is ALWAYS supposed to be a foul, regardless of how it is done. And yet, at no time in the last 50 years has holding been called whenever it happens (good God, the game would be almost unplayable), and at the same time, people expect any and every trip to be a foul, regardless of how it came about. :smack:
The solution, of course, is to have consistent refereeing; a foul today is a foul tomorrow. Within a league, that’s relatively easy to accomplish. But when you play internationally, you get referees who aren’t used to the play in the national leagues of the teams in action. A South American referee in charge of two European teams from countries where physical play is accepted (say England and Germany) will sow confusion simply because of the difference in interpretations of what’s allowable. That’s why things sometimes get a bit chaotic at the World Cup. The England v Colombia match was an example.
That’s just a bit of legitimate headology. The NFL already has rules to discourage flopping. If time is stopped for an injury the player has to come out at least one play. An injury at the end of each half will cost a time out or a time run off. It’s not the same at all.
As for soccer it’s one of the issues that makes the games unwatchable for me. I’ll try to watch some of the upcoming games without turning it off in disgust.
Maybe the rolling around part makes more sense in a post-VAR world, but if a ref doesn’t call a foul even from an obvious exaggeration of contact, would several minutes of rolling around in pain make him rethink his call?
Rolling around in agony has never made any sense; that’s just the flair for the theatric some players have. It’s a performance for the audience, more than anything.
ALso, getting fouled is quite painful if it is a knee in your quad or a tap to your lower shin. Even though you can get going again fairly quickly, right after contact it freaking hurts.
I’ve never rolled more than once. NOW i’ve rolled back and forth a bit. Thats what you do when you’re actually hurt. When you rolled your ankle and you could hear the ligaments snapping. Knowing that in five minutes your ankle will be as big as your knee.
Once saw a so-called pro grab his knee, his head, then his knee and then flop.
Not to mention the feeling in today’s very light soccer “boots” when someone steps right on top of your instep.
The embellishment I hate is the attempt to convince someone you’ve been smashed in the face whenever any contact happens around the head. Even in the Colombia England game, when the Colombian player “head butts” the English player, it is the chin that gets hit, but to judge from the reaction, his whole face and skull got smashed. :mad:
Its the nature of the game, most soccer games end in a tie or a one goal difference, so that penalty kick is very important, this gives great incentive to fake an injury.Limit the number of penalty kicks to just two per game per side or make the goal worth very little, 1/2 or 1/4 point.
This is the #1 way to eliminate the problem. Some high profile
coach needs to convince his players that after taking a hard foul, unless you are legit injured, you get right up and keep running. IMO that “You can’t hurt me” psychological edge can outdo any perceived edge you might get from rolling around on the pitch looking like a pussy trying to get a yellow or red card that probably won’t come anyway.
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There are plenty of players who ride the foul and get on with it.
Getting kicked in the ankle HURTS. Getting your foot stepped on by cleats HURTS. Having your kneecap bang against something hard HURTS. You don’t easily just continue playing when that happens. Try it and find out.
At this world cup, there were 169 goals, 22 of which were scored from the spot. That’s 13%. There were 29 penalties given, 22 of which were scored; that’s 75%.
:smack: