Diving is getting carded

I was just watching the Highlight show for the Argentina Primera División tonight which my wife recorded for me (did I tell you she is a saint?)

There were four cards handed out for players going down in the box, On two occasions, keepers came out on 1v1's and took a player down which resulted in yellows and a PK - normal enough. On a third occasion, a defender got a red for taking a guy down just outside the box on a breakaway. Also normal enough.

On two other similar occasions (1 with a keeper and 1 with a defender) a player went down in the box, it was deemed a dive, and the offending player was sent off.


I don't think I've ever seen that call twice in one day before. FIFA crackdown? Has anybody noticed anything like it in other leagues?

the best part was that in one instance, the ref red carded the guy and then gave him a "you chucklehead" slap on the back of the head as he walked off.

Love it!

I really think diving is a big contributing factor toward why soccer has never really took off in the US. If FIFA does try to crack down a bit before the 2010 World Cup (which is poised to potentially blow up here in the States) it would make it that much more likely that soccer will make a big step in entering the national consciousness.

I think your linking it to the next WC might be right on the mark.
It might have had something with this FIFA realease.

http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/worldwideprograms/releases/newsid=1097850.html?cid=rssfeed&att=

But they are sending two messages. FIFA has previously ruled that England's FA can't retrospectively punish players based on video evidence, which is kind of strange, considering they can do that with most other instances of cheating or fouling.

Fifa has turned down a request by the Football Association to use video evidence to punish players that dive.

However the video evidence apparently isn't completely thrown out.

UEFA just slapped a 2 match ban on Eduardo for diving in the box during Champs League qualifying last week after a large public outcry for Celtic and football supporters at large. The outcry resulted into an investigation that pretty clearly showed an aggregious dive on Eduardo's part that lead to a 1-0 lead and changed momentum of the game.

Arsenal is, of course, furious but I think it sends a powerful precedence that gamesmanship will not be tolerated.