Diving? simply empty the pool.
By: Hannibal Najjar.
Blatter: Professional referees are the way forward (part 2)
Diving is a form of deception. Is a yellow card sufficient punishment?[/b]
Obviously diving is cheating. But it's difficult to define diving precisely. Diving is worse than shirt-pulling or tripping.
So red cards for diving?
Yes, because it's cheating, it's betraying the players and the referee. I'm in favour of red cards for diving!
Catching a thief: So you want to catch a thief! A thief that is thieving nothing! A thief, whose thievery has no bearing on anything, nothing whatsoever! Well, let’s talk!
While the rule that exists to marshal players that dive in football (Soccer) is, to dissuade them from their deceit, it is a rule that violates the very act of self-expression and creativity, and one that truly pities the sport. It is a rule, in the end, that is tantamount to achieving nothing, meaningless, as with Ecclesiastic surety! It is a rule that wastes time, distributes blame for a triviality, and punishes an extremely venial sin with the venom of mortality. Let us truly analyze the significance of this rule.
Difficult to define: FIFA has already admitted that, diving is, “difficult to define precisely”. So why is it such a preoccupation in “The Great Game” and an unwritten rule, hidden under the label, “cheating”? It has occupied more attention than any other infringement, foul, or “play”, even more than the “touchy” subject of the written law of, “off-sides”. It has resulted in more conflicts, and more costs to players, coaches, teams, clubs and owners, sponsors and families, than it has produced any good or benefit.
And, what about this! According to FIFA, the “rules help make the referee’s opinion decisive in controversial situations”. So, why then complicate an already “controversial situation” by dividing the referee’s attention, in order to make a decision about, “a hair’s breadth incident” anyway? Let the referee be concerned on seeing and making the foul call, smile with and ignore, the “diving culprit”.
Comparative analyses: Granted, the following sports are about physical contact more than anything, but I have never seen a football player, in American or Canadian football, or an Australian in Rules Football, (also "Aussie Rules" or "footy") whine and play-dive to get a foul called or seek an advantage – the referees simply go about the business of calling an infringement or a foul and the players get up and play, or should I say, work! As, for ice hockey, well, well, you can tell the men from the boys here! On the other hand, every day I witness offensive players in basketball stripped of the ball, or they lose possession in an attacking play. They may decide to play-act so as to draw a foul call, but are simply ignored and most of all, never receive a caution for their faking. Other predominantly non-contact sports, like, field hockey, cricket, and so on, do not solicit any extra attention for plays that may have similar behaviours like “diving”.
The proposition: It is being proposed that there are more reasons why “diving” should be ignored than, there are for policing and bounty-hunting those who do. Is this “crime” so crucial to the game that it has become the major preoccupation of the referee, players, commentators, spectators, coaches, owners, sponsors, etc?
You decide! Keep the following thoughts in your mind, and constantly bounce them back and forth as the topic of “diving” is explored.
1. Central focus: The focus of the referee should be on calling the fouls according to the Laws of the game, not in “dive” detection. In a “dive” there is no foul otherwise it would not so be labeled! So, let the play roll, and the diving players, goodness, let them dive and roll too, he and his team will be the ones that’ll suffer! If there is a foul and the player goes down or falls (not dives) then that should be called by the referee.
But note also, if there is no foul and, there is no legitimate reason for the player to fall or go down, yet he propels himself as if he had been fouled, then, that is a “dive” and the referee simply should let the play go on. If the referee is good enough to see the definitive “dive”, then he should be mature and professional enough to let it go and die a natural death. Some actions in life have natural consequences and others are inflicted; “diving” is clearly one that should be allowed to reap what comes naturally.
2. Delays the game: The players that dive are not the ones delaying the game, but rather, it is the calls of the referee that do. Many years ago a decision was taken by FIFA to speed up the game by reducing interferences that caused unnecessary delays. Referees were put on the offensive to curtail all tactics that slowed the game down, especially those employed to disadvantage the opposition. Today however, FIFA’s “new” rule, aimed at catching the “diving” thief, counteracts that applaudable time-wasting rule.
3. Not psychologists: Today’s “diving” rule is obscure at best and as Blatter states, “it’s difficult to define precisely”, and the logical reason why this is so, is because it is difficult to determine. But, apart from burdening the referee with having to make a very difficult judgment call – deciding between a faked fall (or, “dive”) and, a player falling that has been impeded by contact or by his very attempt to avoid contact, you have now put him in the compromising position of having to stop the game, thereby, debilitating the rhythm altogether. The referee’s undivided attention should truly only be on whether a foul was committed and, not add to it, the determination of a faked dive, one that is already, “difficult to define precisely”.
What FIFA is asking the referee to do is, possess a superb and accurately discerning mind, one of sharply correct and “precise” intuition. The task of marshalling two very competitive troops of eleven players on each team, and eagled eye coaches on the sidelines is a very burdensome and difficult one.
To put “diving” in perspective, it must first be noted that, “diving” calls made by referees, are not 50-50 accurate, not 40-60, not even 30-70, it is a 10-90, or 15-85 at best! Replays show that the referee either, miscalculated what he thought he saw, or prejudged the “diver” for who he is or is known to be. The referee is just not the mind-reader that FIFA bestows on him and he should not have to decipher the true intent of the player that is “diving”, “falling” or, “trying to avoid” possible contact that he has assessed, at that moment, to be threatening to him or other surrounding players.
Referees are not psychologists or even parapsychologists, trained in reading the minds of top-notched, very savvy and intuitive players! Rather, they are trained to observe the 17 Laws of the game, the spirit of each of the games that are being played, and to call infringements and outcomes according to those laws, in the spirit of that ensuing game.
4. Too much and too tiring to adjudicate: The referee should be encouraged to be preoccupied with his job as “facilitator” of the game, just as a principal of a school does with the classes and teachers of his school! He is to ensure that the players, (who, arguably know the rules and laws well enough) are corralled within the confines of the stadium and immediate environs, to enjoy themselves and give of their best competitively for the attainment of their own personal goals, the fans’ enjoyment, coaches’ satisfaction, owners’ expectations, sponsors’ hopes, and families’ wishes.
The referee already has too much to contend with apart from, the tens of thousands of ranting, raving, and fanatical spectators whose ratio is generally made up of some disproportionate percentage depending home game advantage. Sometimes, the percentages might be more equally divided if it is a derby in some city rivalry. The referee also has the world watching his performance via the instant audio-visual television medium, and more so, its replay “eyes”. He also has the assignors’ and assessors’ bodies of FIFA to contend with, scrutinizing his performance and rating him. He has sponsors of teams to contend with. He has his neighbourhood and community opinions to deal with back home.
In addition to these external elements, the referee has to be very fit physically, especially when officiating at the top and elite levels of the game. No other sport demands such fitness and “Johnny-on-the-spot”, accurate presiding! None! Soccer is gruesomely demanding on both player and center official alike! Some calculations reveal that the referee runs more than many players do in the course of a game. As a consequence, early calls in the game may be called incorrectly if the referee doesn’t sufficiently warm and loosen up prior to the start of the game. And an under-prepared referee may be inclined to misjudge a call or simply, miss it altogether as the game ages.
As a matter of fact, given the mega-speed nature of “The Great Game” as it is played today, FIFA should be considering adding another referee so that there is, two-half officiating, with one referee being the “head” official - definitely worth a thought!
5. Game’s and rule’s significance: Every game is often of major significance to the both teams, clubs, spectators, sponsors, the national and international fans, and on the impact on potential supporters and fans on the peripheries (those who are still confused about the game’s purpose and rules). When a player dives, it is of little significance to the actual game and/or its outcome. But, when this unwritten rule is administered, it often has a telling impact in the ensuing game, future games, season’s outcomes, and more; and, with a 10-15% accuracy rating, is it worth the delay and the associated opportunity costs?
Furthermore, it must be remembered that rules generally tend to bring about the tactically opposite effect of what it hopes to achieve. Tell someone not to do something, all you have done is just made them become conscious of it and have whetted their appetite for the adventure. This is especially so, when those “someones” think it is of little value, no purpose, worthless, or irrelevant, for it is then they will seek to toy with it, and especially with males, mock and masquerade, and seek to outfox it.
6. Judge the sinner: Given the freedom and power to interpret as he feels, the referee is liable to fall prey to human error, corruption, and/or favouritism, either by, letting some “players” off the hook, or others, severely penalizing them.
Take for instance, recently, on Sunday December 23rd,2007, spoilt-child phenom, Christiano Renaldo, the two-goal hero in Manchester United’s 2-1 win over Everton, was seen by the world to be cheating. He came from some distance, pretended to be backpedaling, and kicked the ball away in an attempt to delay the play and take away the opposition’s advantage – that was “cheating”, ‘twas delaying the game and, “ungentlemanly conduct”. The referee and other officials were right there and did not make any call! Or, did they miss the call altogether because of their inundation with “other” crimes?
FIFA should enforce that the referees pay greater attention to these things and observe the times and number of players that deliberately try to steal yards in throw-in and free-kick situations, the latter, whether for distance-advantage or angular betterment - such, are cheating and bothersome to everyone that knows the game.
7. Showing pizzazz: The act of “diving” should not be seen as, “cheating”, and resembling acts such of, “shirt-pulling or tripping”, obstruction, deliberate hand ball, etc, etc. As a matter, it can be left to add some pizzazz to the game, as spectators on the whole, may prefer that players be allowed to add “spice” to the game, hyping up the atmosphere with their persona, style, and creativity. Remember, the evidence of gazillions of so-called dives that are constantly witnessed, continue to depict that less diving occurs than is justified for the attention it receives. Let the players dive, enthrall, and fire up the game. Let the passion show, burn!
8. Go to the polls: Conduct a poll of the players and referees and make the determination thereafter of who would like the rule to remain? Ask the players what they think; do a survey in the top leagues of the world and see if they care if a player dives or not; see if they believe that this rule is worth the attention and time it receives! Ask the officials also and see what they think! Ask the spectators too! Ask your spouse, your children, coworkers, ask their thoughts!
9: Empty the pool: You want to stop the diving, simply, empty the pool, the pool of attention! Yes, let them dive in an empty pool, just once, and see ……!
