Simulation: Time to take action

One of the hottest topics of the last week has been that of diving, with Luis Suarez and Gareth Bale taking centre stage.

Pundits and players alike are joining the growing clamour of disapproval for what were blatant acts of cheating on the football field. It feels so much worse when it's one of our own doing it; the only good thing this week is that the Spurs community is pretty much united in its disapproval of Bale's act. Diving isn't new but it's not going away. The yellow card that should be given to the diving player is often not given. The idea of retrospectively punishing players for diving has been mooted, and this makes a lot of sense - it is often difficult for referees to be sure if contact was made, if the player dived or was fouled, but with the aid of video evidence after the match it would be much easier to make a decision on this.

A retrospective one or two match ban for diving would surely make players think twice about doing it. In addition, I am also pretty sick of seeing players rolling around on the floor after challenges, in an attempt either to run down the clock or to get the opposition player booked. Didier Drogba provides an excellent example of this: A man who stands at 6 feet 2 inches and 14 stone, it would usually take some amount of machinery to knock him over. Put him in a Chelsea shirt and a strong breeze will do it. Our very own Gareth Bale has also made an unfortunate name for himself in this regard - how often do we see him in the fetal position, rolling around and punching the ground in anguish after a heavier than usual contact?

It's cheating and it's not acceptable, and yet it's now pretty much accepted as part of the game. It's sad really. I would like to see the FA introduce an injury bin to football matches. If a player is rolling around on the floor the clock should be stopped and the player should be stretchered off and remain off the pitch for a minimum of five minutes to receive the treatment that they apparently need. No booking, just off the pitch for that time. The innocent, that is, those who actually are injured, would be unaffected, as they would have to leave the pitch anyway. Imagine a team, a goal up with 10 minutes to play but under the cosh - currently this would be prime time for a spot of play acting to waste a minute or two.

It would be far less likely to happen if the players knew that their team would be down to ten men for much of the rest of the match, managers and team mates alike would not stand for it, especially if goals were conceded as a result. This would be a good time to take action on diving and play acting, as they are very much in the limelight. The question is, will the FA bite the bullet?

Written by Yorkspur

Click here to join in the debate on the club forum.