spyright, on 13 October 2014 - 07:11 PM, said:
Correct. But this sort of stuff happens in a lot of games, precisely because the players usually get away with it. Our own players aren't saints - how many times have defenders pulled back / pushed / tripped / fouled opponents in our box and got away with it? Cheating is an integral part of the modern game because there's so much money at stake. I'm not happy about it, just trying to be realistic. Football could learn from rugby, where there's a lot more respect for the officials because they still retain a large amount of control over the game. Of course rugby players cheat, but the punishment is more immediate and severe when they get caught and the refs don't tolerate being abused, surrounded and pushed about like their football counterparts. In short, they still command and demand some respect from the players - the whole ethos of the game is different as a result.
I agree 100%. The problem is, if football follows our egg-shaped cousins, the FA/UEFA/FIFA are admitting there is a problem to be dealt with. Think back to Rivaldo in a Brazil shirt (against Turkey 2002 world cup?), when he looked like a sniper had clipped him from the floodlights. No, we don't have players diving in football, we have
simulation...
Imagine if Rugby did follow Rugby's example...talk back to the referee? Team marched back 10 yards closer to their own goal (which they piloted in lower league football...and it worked...so they scrapped it!) - they'd soon shut up. Run 60 yards to yell like a tool (Gary Neville made a career of it), in the book; yellow card, no hesitation; now go back where you came from. Worse case scenario. Premiership rugby final 2 seasons ago. Northampton Saints captain Dylan Hartley is red carded for calling the referee "an effing cheat". And then he gets a ban through the summer and misses the British Lions tour.
Red cards in rugby usually involve a citing officer and a ban of more than 3 games. The thing is, with football squads so big now and internationals warming the bench, losses like that can be easily absorbed. When the powers that be decide to deduct points for offences, and team miss out on titles/european places/play-offs/move into the relegaton zone, they'll get their house in order.
Have a look at this:
This Is Not Soccer
And:
Same ref, different game
Now somebody tell me why we can't have this in our game?
This post has been edited by Stockholm Spireite: 13 October 2014 - 09:39 PM