Can FIFA PLEASE Try to Crack Down on This

I think I've complained about this before, but to me... one of the biggest detriments to international soccer and why it isn't as popular in the US is the insufferable amount of flopping. Check this out:



I know FIFA encourages refs to card that type of behavior, but how often do they actually see it... I really think they need to start looking at video and start handing out fines and suspensions. Crap like this is sadly just too common.

pretty good. But of rookie caliber.

Check these out

In one you'll see the ref take a dive. In another, a coach.

Haha... Soccer isn't the only sport infected...

And how could we forget....



"That's what we knew Vlade for; smokin, drinkin and floppin" Sigh...

Amare gives lessons



and Robert

Agreed... "flopping" is not unique to soccer. People do that kind of crap in every sport, from wide receivers falling over trying to get pass interference charges to a second-baseman who knows he can't make the relay throw for a double-play trying to get an interference call on the base runner.

However, flopping on a charge or is one thing... pretending you can't get up and are seriously injured is another. What I mean is that American fans fetishize toughness. Soccer players already face an uphill battle since generally it's played during football season... the old joke is that guys that aren't big/tough enough to play football play soccer. Anyone who has played before know it's very much a contact sport, but try convincing Iowans and Georgians that when they tune in to watch the World Cup or some high-level Euroleague match, they see guys hitting the deck like they've been shot, only to get up and jog away after the foul is called.

And the thing is... I swear it really doesn't happen that much here in the states in high school or in college. It's when you get to the international level that it becomes so annoying and visible.

So yeah... the whole faking injuries thing... just wish that would stop. I don't even really mind trying to draw fouls or get the ref to call a whistle (like people trying to draw charges in basketball), but is it really necessary to roll around on the ground in "agony"? As long as that goes on, people in the US are never going to embrace soccer, because it makes the players look like wimps. And American's can abide a lot of things, a wimp isn't one of them.

Someone posted or linked a story about how a ref "accused" Christine of flopping in the box during one of Canada's international matches! Opps...wrong move!! It irked her and fired her up. I think the match was tied/overtime when the accusation was made...of course...she tore the pitch up and took over! Pellerud sense her dismay and asked if she was okay...all Christine said was..."I don't flop"!

Then there's Megan Rapinoe...anyone around her always seems to flop? Be it by Megan's will...or for their own safety!

GO PILOTS!!!

No definitely agreed on the flopping/toughness thing... The gamesmanship of the international game is pretty disgusting, and really popular in Central/South America and Eastern Europe... I think its one thing to flail a bit after legitimate contact (definitely did that back in the day), but the histrionics of rolling around, grabbing the face when hit in the ankle or whatever really does limit its appeal and is detrimental to the game. The fact of the matter is until the international leagues and whatnont punish the acts, they will continue beacause they are an unfortunately effective strategy...

I totally agree with Stonehouse on this one. There are two times when flopping in soccer really ticks me off: fake injuries and almost worse is flopping in the box when it costs the other team a game. FIFA actually recently had an experiment where they had an extra ref or lines person watch the penalty box to try to cut down on flopping in the box, and I appreciate that.

I get really ticked off when I see player like Freddy Adu dive and take a tumble and grab for the ankles only to get up a few minutes later and miraculously be ready to take the indirect kick. If it was me, I'd just kick all of the floppers off of the national team and replace them with players from UP.

Seems to me that there is a ton of flopping/diving in the USL D1 and in the MLS. My opinion is that the refs are just as much at fault for it as players. Refs flat do not show very many yellows for diving (although to me, diving should be a straight red.)

I will say this, it can be very difficult for a ref to determine in a player is faking being hurt or not. I have seen people go down away from the ball and away from other players with blow knees, twisted ankles, even a broken leg. I think the easiest way for the refs to control the faking is a simple rule: If a ref stops play to assess a player who is down, the player must step off, or be taken off the field and they MAY NOT return. If the player is in fact injured, they may be replaced. If the player is found to be faking, THEY MAY NOT BE REPLACED. That team would go down a man for the remainder of the game. I think this would put a stop to faking injuries and cut down on diving REAL QUICK.

-SciFi

SciFi wrote:Seems to me that there is a ton of flopping/diving in the USL D1 and in the MLS. My opinion is that the refs are just as much at fault for it as players. Refs flat do not show very many yellows for diving (although to me, diving should be a straight red.)

I will say this, it can be very difficult for a ref to determine in a player is faking being hurt or not. I have seen people go down away from the ball and away from other players with blow knees, twisted ankles, even a broken leg. I think the easiest way for the refs to control the faking is a simple rule: If a ref stops play to assess a player who is down, the player must step off, or be taken off the field and they MAY NOT return. If the player is in fact injured, they may be replaced. If the player is found to be faking, THEY MAY NOT BE REPLACED. That team would go down a man for the remainder of the game. I think this would put a stop to faking injuries and cut down on diving REAL QUICK.

-SciFi

OK, but if you do that, then you have to take the guy that injured him out of the game. Pretty soon you'd be playing 1v1

Purplegeezer wrote:

SciFi wrote:Seems to me that there is a ton of flopping/diving in the USL D1 and in the MLS. My opinion is that the refs are just as much at fault for it as players. Refs flat do not show very many yellows for diving (although to me, diving should be a straight red.)

I will say this, it can be very difficult for a ref to determine in a player is faking being hurt or not. I have seen people go down away from the ball and away from other players with blow knees, twisted ankles, even a broken leg. I think the easiest way for the refs to control the faking is a simple rule: If a ref stops play to assess a player who is down, the player must step off, or be taken off the field and they MAY NOT return. If the player is in fact injured, they may be replaced. If the player is found to be faking, THEY MAY NOT BE REPLACED. That team would go down a man for the remainder of the game. I think this would put a stop to faking injuries and cut down on diving REAL QUICK.

-SciFi

OK, but if you do that, then you have to take the guy that injured him out of the game. Pretty soon you'd be playing 1v1

Why do you have to take the guy that injured him out? Wouldn't that fall under current rules?

-SciFi

Hard for Freddy to dive sitting on the bench for Monaco.

HEY-OOO!

I'm with SciFi on the problems for referees. When guys start diving it can be hard to tell when someone really is hurt, and when someone does go down away from the ball the referee is probably not going to see what happened. Take Zidane's headbutt at the World Cup: The fourth official had to tell the referee because it was away from the play.

I could see some problems in determining if the player was faking or not, but really, you can tell most times when someone is coming off injured and will not be returning.

Now, I keep hearing leagues say they're going to review game film and fine players found to be diving, but I don't hear about any players actually being caught. Does any league actually do this?

Yeah, I personally haven't noticed as much flopping at the MLS level as I have at the national team and World Cup level. Unfortunately, I think that soccer is one of the toughest sports to officiate. On the surface, soccer can look like a finesse sport, but, then there are a few plays that remind you that padless sports can be brutal like the bloody collision in the first US National team vs. Guatamala earlier this year.

I'm still a little bit miffed about what happened to the US men's team in the Olympics. It's frustrating seeing the same players who sometimes draw physical fouls like Adu do some flopping. It's like they turn on their aggression and then they turn it off again. Pretty pathetic if you ask me. I didn't see all of the fouls that happened in the most recent Olympics, but, if someone else did I'd enjoy hearing an explanation of what you saw.

Remember this?

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=562533&25&&cc=5901

Did anyone see the FSU kicker flop in the recent bowl game against Wisconsin? That was ridiculous. Roughing the kicker got called, the guy wasn't touched, and then he was laughing about it on the sideline.

Okay, here's a pet peeve I have:

When there's a controversial decision, why do the players on the team the call went against surround the referee for an extended b1tch session? If I could change the laws I would make it a caution for everyone who wants to participate in one of these "discussions."

PurplePrideTrumpet wrote:Hard for Freddy to dive sitting on the bench for Monaco.

HEY-OOO!

I'm with SciFi on the problems for referees. When guys start diving it can be hard to tell when someone really is hurt, and when someone does go down away from the ball the referee is probably not going to see what happened. Take Zidane's headbutt at the World Cup: The fourth official had to tell the referee because it was away from the play.

I could see some problems in determining if the player was faking or not, but really, you can tell most times when someone is coming off injured and will not be returning.

Now, I keep hearing leagues say they're going to review game film and fine players found to be diving, but I don't hear about any players actually being caught. Does any league actually do this?

Actually, Freddy's dive was for the national team, not Monaco.