Simulation is cheating, against the rules and more importantly against the spirit of the sporting contest. Your “different cultures” comment must mean that you accept and tolerate it ? If so, I don’t get why you do.
In extreme cases, I have seen matches where a player goes down, is carted off on a stretcher. The hops off and runs back on. That’s WWE wrestling stuff!
In the NRL when scrums used to be contested, half backs would put the ball in the second row. In the ruck there would be sneaky hands on the ball to cause a fumble. FMD us fans used to be enraged by that bullshit. Thankfully our laws changed to (mostly) rid these frustrations from the game. Soccer however shrugs their shoulders at it and fans ignore it ?
I enjoy the game, but to me it is spolied by these antics and I think it’s a crying shame. I don’t get why you say to me oh well don’t watch it.
I wonder what your reaction was in 2006 to this ? Did you appaud his sportsmanship?
I recall being at a party just after it and I met a former socceroo who was then working as a sports master of a private school. He said that the Italian guy was right to do that “because goals are hard to get”.
Thank you for suggesting that I must agree that it's ok for players to simulate due to my comment about different cultures in sport. I stand by that.
For what it's worth, I despise the practice. I absolutely hate it and think it is a terrible blight on the game. Thankfully, it's not as prevalent in this country as it is overseas, and it is certainly far less accepted amongst football fans here.
My main gripe with your original comment was that you have made your point many times previously.
I'm far aware of your stance on this issue yet you bang on about it time and time again in an almost Bart-esque fashion. Ok...... we get it. It's the same as continually watching a shit tv show and then complaining about the content.
I'm in the same ball park as you regarding diving in football, as I said above, but I look past it and focus on the better and more positive aspects of the game, like Reilly McGree's world class goal last week.
There's plenty of shitty things about RL as well, yet I don't see you carry on about them like you do with diving in football. As I said, if you don't like it, don't watch it.
Also, it's clear that you do not understand the game judging by the video you posted.
Absolutely, the Italian was going to go down, but when a defender throws himself at the feet of an attacking player inside the box, they are opening themselves up to the type of decision that was made. Instead of laying the blame at the Italian, maybe you should be looking at the stupidity of Lucas Neill for making such a poor attempt at a tackle at such a critical stage of the game.