Keep on faking: FIFA

Amid calls for tougher action on the glut of cheating in football, FIFA have yet again slammed the door shut on video evidence, leaving important decisions in the hands of fallible referees.

Fifa rejects FA plan to trap divers

Fifa has ruled out allowing video evidence to be used retrospectively to punish players who dive.
The Football Association's chief executive, Brian Barwick, had written to the game's world governing body asking for video evidence to be used, but Fifa will not allow this. A Fifa statement said that it "strongly opposes any kind of cheating action, including diving, which goes against the spirit of fair play... although a disciplinary committee may rectify serious and obviously incorrect decisions taken by a referee, particularly regarding disciplinary sanctions, a referee's discretionary decision cannot be classed as such".

Fifa pointed out that rules to punish diving already exist, and referees should caution any players they believe have dived. Referees at this summer's World Cup will be asked to crack down on offenders.

Click here for original story from The Independent Online.

Anyone who watches league football knows that the odd yellow card is not going to curb the advent of diving. The situation has gotten so bad that managers and players, along with referees, have been dragged through the sludge of this shameful trend, and nobody knows how to stop it. Referees complain that players spend 90 minutes trying to con them into wrong decisions. Players complain that bad decisions are made. Managers complain that their players don't get protection. It's all an absolute farce.

So in should come FIFA to solve the problem. It's actually very easy - get a panel of referees and ex players to study these "dives", make a call on it, and ban the offending players for a few games each time it happens. it's bound to clean the game up.

But no. it's always no. FIFA have come out with their usual drivel, about the discretion of the referee, about existing systems and about how the next world cup will see the most effective implementation of sporting judiciary. well, BOLLOCKS TO THAT, SEPP BLATTER.

I said it before, and i'll repeat it: your lack of commitment to clean up the game via new technology is costing you credibility. No wonder cosnpiracy theorists come out and say you rig the game.

I do not believe for one second that FIFA are interested in the clean image of football.

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