The English FA are contemplating the introduction of retrospective bans for players who dive or cheat during a game. The Scottish FA had implemented the ruling in 2011 and would result in a player receiving a two-match ban if the player had dived.
The Scottish FA would check up on these events via video replay and Rule 201 states:
“No player shall cause a match official to make an incorrect decision and/or support an error of judgment on the part of a match official by an act of simulation which results in that player’s team being awarded a penalty kick and/or an opponent being dismissed and/or any other substantial advantage being gained.”
The introduction of this law into the English game comes from a report via the Times which states the clash between Ander Herrera and Roberto Firmino as the focal point. The Brazilian had pushed Herrera in the chest when Manchester United hosted Liverpool on Sunday but the Spaniard went down clutching his face.
The response even saw a heated exchange between the two managers, Jurgen Klopp and Jose Mourinho and both players involved in the incident picked up bookings.
As reported by Squawka.com an FA insider also shared his view about introducing the rule but has his doubts about how the rulings would be played out.
“On the face of it it’s a good idea. The devil is in the detail, but as a tool to penalise blatant simulation versus ‘did he dive or slip?’ it is now being investigated. It is being discussed with the SFA and some FA people are going up to Scotland for a meeting on how it is working.”
There are a few people in favour of the decision with FA chairman Greg Clarke and many others wanting to introduce this law. Even the Scottish FA’s chief executive Stewart Regan voiced his support of introducing the law.
“Having that rule there is helping the game and reducing the acts of simulation, which we know are frustrating for fans and players, and can be game-changing.”
This was not the first such incident which saw a player make a meal of a bit of contact. We saw Hull City’s Robert Snodgrass win a penalty against Crystal Palace when there was no contact between the players and the Hull man even came out to defend himself, which put him in more trouble.
Even in the last set of Premier League games, Romelu Lukaku had chest-bumped Nicolas Otamendi but the defender fell down as if being hit by a truck.
The rule being implemented would certainly be a good deterrent to divers and like the introduction of goal-line technology, retrospective bans for diving could make the game better as a whole.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z22ip10Iy5I
