Can we get rid of cheating in football?

[Carl Sagan]

Today, 19 year old Marcus Rashford blatantly dived to win a penalty.

21 year old Leroy Sane did the same for Man City.

Against us, 18 year old Ben Brereton did exactly the same thing as Sane against us, jumping into Chris Baird to try to get the Gump's a penalty. For those who couldn't watch on telly, they showed that clearly on replays from behind the goal and Rowett drew attention to it in the post-match inteview.

Just three examples of young strikers who are already expert in trying to cheat their way to getting penalties. They have learnt the technique to make it look as though they've been fouled. Of course there are hundreds of others - it's endemic.

How can we stop it? For me there should be retrospective bans for a significant number games. If you banned people for, say, six games for diving, when it's indisputable, then players would stop doing it. Fail to act and it will only get worse - it's so difficult for referees because the technique has clearly been practised and perfected.

[RamNut]

The two points Swansea dropped as a result could yet prove to be very significant.

[needles]

We've got to try. Retrospective bans for certain, 5 games for the full Rashford, 3 games for "going down too easily". It would be stamped out by the end of September. If there's any chance of video technology being brought in, I'd go for that too wherever possible.

[Gritstone Ram]

A video reply would easily have shown that there was no foul on Rashford.  I suspect his argument would be he fell over and didn't appeal for a penalty. 

Video replays at the time and instant red cards and bigger bans. It's starting to become the best actor wins.

[Day]

Retrospective action with lengthy bans and a months wages fine.

Repeat offenders have bans lengthened and fines increased.

It's the only way.

Send all the fine money to diving centres across the country, fund that sport with the next Tom Daleys.

[Sith Happens]

56 minutes ago, David said:

Retrospective action with lengthy bans and a months wages fine.

Repeat offenders have bans lengthened and fines increased.

It's the only way.

Send all the fine money to diving centres across the country, fund that sport with the next Tom Daleys.

I agree, i am not sure of the rules but im sure what happened in scotland to the ross county player is unique to scotland only? I dont know what laws we have in england to let this happen, probably none.

It seems reasonable to have retrospective action, we do it for violent conduct.

I would also be banning aguero for his theatrics against united even though the red card was still justified. Our Brad showed there is no need to throw yourself to the ground.

[Gaspode]

What we also need is for referees to be consistent - a foul is a foul wherever it is committed on the pitch - whether it's inside the area or not should make no difference - and if a ref wouldn't give a foul for a shoulder to shoulder challenge on the halfway line, he shouldn't give a penalty if the same contact happens in the box. We're now at the point where players throw themselves to the ground when they feel someone breathe on them to make sure the ref 'knows' they've been fouled - something that is actively encouraged by managers and ex-players......'ooh, he should have gone down'; 'he was too honest - if he'd gone down, we'd have got a penalty' - NO!!! the ref shouldn't need someone to fall over to make a decision, nor should players need to force the referee to do their job properly.....

It would also be a huge help if the idiot 'experts' on TV stopped justifying penalties by watching multiple replays and stating 'there was contact' - it's a bloody contact sport! Contact does not equate to a foul....

[Millenniumram]

Think the OP is spot on, the only way to get rid of it is proper retrospective punishments. At the moment players know that once they've conned the ref, which ain't that hard to do at full speed, nothing is done about it. Once they realised how easy it is to see and punish based on replays it will soon stop, really don't think it's that hard a thing to eradicate

[Guest]

Add Harry Kane to your list

[Carl Sagan]

19 minutes ago, G STAR RAM said:

Add Harry Kane to your list

That's an interesting one. I nearly mentioned Kane in the original post but refrained because it looked to me he was kicked on the shin, though once that happened down he went leaving his leg there. It does go to show how hard this is. You would only be able to give serious retrospective penalties if the cheating is blatant.

 

[Fraser_23]

god, Alexis Sanchez annoyed me when Fuchs threw the ball at him. Took him a good 30 seconds from when the ball hit him, to when he hit the floor.

Another one, was where Aguero got Fellaini sent off. Aguero acted all hard walking up to Fellaini, and then as soon as Fellaini touched him, he dropped like a sack of potatoes

Rory Best broke his arm playing for Ireland in rugby. He carried on playing for 15 minutes, making tackles and running with the ball !!!

Footballers just need to man the hell up

[Sith Happens]

1 hour ago, Fraser_23 said:

god, Alexis Sanchez annoyed me when Fuchs threw the ball at him. Took him a good 30 seconds from when the ball hit him, to when he hit the floor.

Another one, was where Aguero got Fellaini sent off. Aguero acted all hard walking up to Fellaini, and then as soon as Fellaini touched him, he dropped like a sack of potatoes

Rory Best broke his arm playing for Ireland in rugby. He carried on playing for 15 minutes, making tackles and running with the ball !!!

Footballers just need to man the hell up

its not manning up, they are just out and out cheats....ok fellaini needed to go but aguero should be banned for his reaction, same as sanchez. The FA/Premier league havent the balls...bet if some lower end of the prem league player did it affecting the outcome of the title on the last day of the season they would be all over it like a rash.

 

[Guest]

6 minutes ago, Paul71 said:

its not manning up, they are just out and out cheats....ok fellaini needed to go but aguero should be banned for his reaction, same as sanchez. The FA/Premier league havent the balls...bet if some lower end of the prem league player did it affecting the outcome of the title on the last day of the season they would be all over it like a rash.

 

I would like to see managers taking a bit more responsibility.

If you ask me, Mourinho defending Fellaini and suggesting he should have not been sent off, brings the game much more into disrepute than Moyes making a tongue in cheek comment to a reporter or Joey Barton betting on football matches.

[Bris Vegas]

Diving is part if the culture, part of the game. I applaud players who go to ground to win penalties if they've been fouled. Some try and stay on their feet, and don't get the penalty.

You can criticise forwards, but defenders cheat all the time too with shirt tugs and knocks from behind.

I think it's wrong when players go down without any contact, but examples like Sane I don't mind. 

[Fraser_23]

1 hour ago, Paul71 said:

its not manning up, they are just out and out cheats....ok fellaini needed to go but aguero should be banned for his reaction, same as sanchez. The FA/Premier league havent the balls...bet if some lower end of the prem league player did it affecting the outcome of the title on the last day of the season they would be all over it like a rash.

 

I completely agree with you! Imagine if they were in town and they got pushed for example. They ain't gonna start rolling around ? Just them trying to get the opposition player sent off. Pathetic!

 

[Day]

15 minutes ago, Bris Vegas said:

Diving is part if the culture, part of the game. I applaud players who go to ground to win penalties if they've been fouled. Some try and stay on their feet, and don't get the penalty.

You can criticise forwards, but defenders cheat all the time too with shirt tugs and knocks from behind.

I think it's wrong when players go down without any contact, but examples like Sane I don't mind. 

Not a Barca fan by a chance are you? 

[Sith Happens]

2 hours ago, Bris Vegas said:

Diving is part if the culture, part of the game. I applaud players who go to ground to win penalties if they've been fouled. Some try and stay on their feet, and don't get the penalty.

You can criticise forwards, but defenders cheat all the time too with shirt tugs and knocks from behind.

I think it's wrong when players go down without any contact, but examples like Sane I don't mind. 

So Rashford? Dive or not?

I also presume from what you say you agree with the actions of both aguero and sanchez, and that Bradley Johnson should have thrown himself to the floor, and also Hughes should have dived in the recent game when impeded in the area?

 

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Bris Vegas said:

Diving is part if the culture, part of the game. I applaud players who go to ground to win penalties if they've been fouled. Some try and stay on their feet, and don't get the penalty.

You can criticise forwards, but defenders cheat all the time too with shirt tugs and knocks from behind.

I think it's wrong when players go down without any contact, but examples like Sane I don't mind. 

Part of what culture?

It's embarrassing, pathetic and cheating.

It's a contact sport, or at least it used to be.

Grown men should be ashamed of behaving like that knowing that they are role models to say many young impressionable children.

Do you advocate cheating in exams as long as you don't get caught?

[EnigmaRam]

Something needs to be done. Gets on my tits seeing under 9 and 10 players doing it, holding shirts, treading on toes at corners.

[Highgate]

3 hours ago, Bris Vegas said:

Diving is part if the culture, part of the game. I applaud players who go to ground to win penalties if they've been fouled. Some try and stay on their feet, and don't get the penalty.

You can criticise forwards, but defenders cheat all the time too with shirt tugs and knocks from behind.

I think it's wrong when players go down without any contact, but examples like Sane I don't mind. 

It's true, there are lots of forms of deliberate cheating, but surely the answer is to be critical and attempt to address them all, rather than giving them a pass.

The Sane example was horrendous. Jumping into another player with the sole intention of falling on the ground and winning a penalty is as blatant as cheating gets. There are plenty of grey areas in the diving/fouling debate, when it's reasonable to go to ground and when it's not, but Sane's effort (and Rashford's) was unambiguous and should have earned him a red card and 5 match ban instead of a penalty.