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FIFA must cut down on dives
Acting on tackles taking away from game's flow
Posted: Wednesday July 08, 1998 03:17 PM
PARIS (CNN/SI) -- With the offenses that draw red and yellow cards
growing with every new FIFA directive, isn't it about time that those in
charge starting clamping down on play acting? Of course calling it
"acting" is a total disrespect to that profession. If what the would-be
thespians of the football field do following the slightest nudge is
"acting", then Sylvester Stallone is the new Olivier. I've lost count
of the number of players who've responded to the merest hint of a challenge
with a spectacular tumble and theatrical grimace more in keeping with the
WWF. The worst injury suffered so far, for all that supposed "agony" --
the broken leg sustained by Winston Bogarde of the Netherlands
during training! Surely this kind of over reaction has got to stop. Yes,
FIFA has instructed referees to clamp down on players who try to con the
officials, but at present the only place that rule is applied is in the
penalty area, when players take a dive attempting to win a penalty. I
would like to see the rules against play acting applied all over the field.
Tackling is not illegal for goodness sake, it's a legitimate part of the
game. When Edgar Davids of Holland raced back to thwart an almost
certain goal, as Brazil's Ronaldo
closed in for a one-on-one with Edwin Van der Sar in the semi-final, it was
one of the more thrilling moments of the match, a potentially match-winning
tackle. The fact Ronaldo went down like a house of cards with agony and
outrage on his face, fortunately, did not fool the referee. And for
those who argue that players must be protected in order to let skill
flourish, well fair tackling is a skill. Furthermore it's surely a skill
that epitomises what the game is all about. Man on man, determination, raw
competition. And while the England
midfielder, Paul Ince's claim that "a good tackle is better than sex", may
be stretching things a bit, I for one think it would be a sad day if the
tackling aspect of the game was lost.
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