Question Number: 32324

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 3/20/2018

RE: Competitive Under 19

Dave Bermingham of Herndon, Virginia United States asks...

Just for fun I will repeat to you the same question posed in the BBC headline to the following link, 'Have you ever seen a more blatant dive than this?'
http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/43472827

Just shows how important it is to have good viewing angles and stay close to play.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

HI Dave,
unfortunately yes I have sigh
a sorry blight on a great sport by a marginal player here are some more. sigh
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNL60OZc79U


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zewYdHDU-pU

It behoves the powers that be to strip these players of games, cancel the team results if it alters the match and enforce heavy fines. Unfortunately the urge to win at any costs seems to outweigh these ridiculous actions! As to how important it is to have good viewing angles and stay close to play why the AR looking across could not spot this is hard to fathom but the CR was looking in behind probably a bit off to the right in central lane. Given the leg wave was unusual by the irate defender after he likely felt he was fouled it prompted our over eager actor to try and sell what marginal air contact there was. I recall Beckham being sent off after getting clattered by a terrible tackle for raising his leg to touch the back of the calf of the Argentinian who dived as if his life depended on it and sold a red card to the referee one of the more terrible referee decisions I have seen at world cup events.
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Dave
There are four issues at play here.
One is the dive and exaggeration by the attacker to win a penalty, the second is the slight push on the defender by the attacker, the third one is the action of the defender on the ground to move his left leg in a tripping action and the fourth is feigning injury.
As you know to trip or attempts to trip is a foul and there is what looks like to me a possible attempt to trip here. There may even be slight contact on the attackers right leg. The defender on the ground clearly moves his left leg across to his right with the intention, I believe, of making trip contact with the attacker. The attacker feels this minimal contact and then throws himself to the ground to ensure that the referee has to make a call. The referee may have seen the tripping action which is an unnatural movement of the defenders leg and decides to give it. The attacker then feigns that he has been hurt.
This type of question has been asked here and other sites. Is a player guilty of simulation if he exaggerates an actual foul to ensure the referee has seen it? That is not an easy question to answer as there is a foul yet without the exaggeration will it be called? Also the reward is too great and a huge temptation for players. Was this deserving of a penalty kick assuming there was an attempt to trip? I have also yet to see a foul awarded and a player cautioned for feigning injury. Could we see a penalty award for a trip here and a caution for the attacker?
I recall a few seasons ago in a game where there was an incident in the same location in the penalty area on the ARs side. The players were stood up and the defender seemed to make slight contact on the attacker who was shielding the ball facing the goal line and then on the second attempt the defender toe poked the ball out for a corner. I looked at my AR and he was flustering awarkly with the flag. Anyway I shouted corner kick. At half time I asked him what was he doung with the flag and he said that he thought it was a foul and he had forgot the penalty foul signal! It may have been a minor foul yet one that I would not have given.
So is this the most blatant dive for me? I have seen much worse where players throw themselves to ground with no contact whatsoever or no attempt of contact. A cursory look at the web will show much worse simulation and feigning of injury to boot.
As to angle of view this is probably one of the most difficult locations for a referee to get to for angle of view. At the lower levels a referee is highly unlikely to get in that deep and at an angle. If he gets close enough the referee may sense the level of contact but that is about all. More likely to see this face on.
It is a blight on our game and I agree with Referee Dawson that stronger action needs to be taken. The difficulty there is the stronger action is a red card in a game situation and that may deter referees from taking action except in the most obvious of situations so the doubtful ones end up with play continuing in case the referee has got it wrong. I think it is a retrospective ban that needs to happen where video evidence is used and a ban plus a team sanction. If the dive affected the game then loss of points would soon cut it out.