Tweaking the Rules for the Good of the Game

Simulation: Discerning the Real from the Pretend

FIFA President Sepp Blatter recently came under heavy criticism for saying he was too busy to throw his weight behind the UK’s periodical The Times in its effort to combat a problem that threatens to undermine the credibility of football. But the rules have actually been in place since 1999 to address the all-too common occurrence known as diving. As you may or may not know, referees are already instructed to issue a caution to players who simulate being fouled or injured.

And while I’m fully behind this punitive measure to help the game retain a sense of decency, I must admit that quite often players are booked when they shouldn’t be and vice versa. Anybody who has ever played, watched, or refereed a match knows full well that players often end up on the ground even when they haven’t been fouled. And in my estimation, it is the great exception rather than the rule that players simulate being fouled.

But there are other types of simulation as well, like when a player embellishes a minor foul in the hope that the referee will issue a caution to his opponent. In the end, referees must employ some common sense in determining whether or not a yellow card is warranted for any particular action.

FIFA’s media officer defended his organization’s top brass by saying that “It must start with the players. Fair play is about respecting your opponents, the referee and the officials and also the laws of the game. And fair play, both on and off the field, is something that FIFA has been espousing quite vocally for several years now.”

The UK’s sports minister went on to say this, “From Sunday league to Premier League, it is time to kick diving out of the game for good. It gives football and footballers a bad name. It sets a poor example for children. There is no better way to kick out the cheats than by creating a climate of intolerance that shames divers out of the game.” And while I don’t think that it’ll be possible to completely eliminate this type of low-class behavior from the game, I do believe that the tools are already in place to promote an atmosphere where the game’s participants are less likely to engage in such antics.

Time Wasting: A Game Killer

Speaking of antics, I applaud FIFA’s efforts to eliminate the gamesmanship that I believe hurts the game. On March 4th, FIFA’s rulemaking body will meet to discuss whether referees should issue automatic cautions to players who delay the restart of a game. And frankly, this change is long overdue.

Just like with diving and other forms of simulation, time wasting puts an ugly stain on our game; oftentimes reducing it to nothing more than a poorly-acted, overly-dramatic play. And this, I would argue, isnt good for the fans or the players.

The beautiful game as football is often called is anything but when poor sportsmanship interferes with the flow of the action. If players know that their obnoxious, childish actions will be met with a yellow-card, you’ll quickly find that they’ll go about the business of playing proper football instead of wasting everyone’s time and energy indulging in obstructionist tactics.

Kudos to FIFA for sending the right message to the game’s participants regarding diving and time-wasting. Footballs very integrity is what’s at stake here. And since football is the sport that’s beloved by more people than any other across our planet, billions of people will take notice. As such, this sends a message to people everywhere - PLAY BY THE RULES AND PLAY WITH CHARACTER AND CLASS, both on the field and off. We’ll all be better off as a result.