Robben- time to take action?

[Fungus]

His right foot kicks his own left heel before he goes down. So it must be a penalty.

 

[beorhthelm]

i agree with the sentiment, however this is a really poorly chosen piece of evidnece as he is fouled and hadnt gone down for a few challenges prior to this.

but in princple, i'd like to see retrospective yellows dished out for diving, feiging injury (i.e. clutch face when push in chest, rolling around when merely tripped) and other cheating such as off ball incidents, shirt pulling, bear hugs, stamps, motioning "dive" or "card" to the ref. if players started getting suspended for this behaviour, it'd soon change.

 

[Arrid]

They did score. And very soon after the incident. He also didn't know that the penalty would be missed in the last World Cup, but it was. I'm not saying that he's not unhinged, but I think it's worth considering if he's making a calculated decision.
And I'm completely up for each team being given two or three reviews in a game, and I haven't heard a decent argument against it -- anyone want to offer one?

Because in this very debate there are those who think it was a penalty and those who think it wasn't and the 'video' evidence is on this very link.

 

[DavePage]

Robben *******

 

[Keeping The Dream Alive.]

This thread has served to show how using video refs for decisions like this would likely do very little to resolve any controversies that occur.

 

[Sheebo]

Doesn't matter for me if there was contact or if he stepped on his foot as he clearly dives to win the pen. It's cheating regardless. Any dive is bad.

 

[Justice]

I wonder how many of us would have been screaming for a pen if that was say cms at the Amex. Funny old game footy?

Or if Robben by some miracle signed for us next season, I think his diving now and again would soon be forgotten and forgiven.

 

[GingerBeerMan]

Doesn't matter for me if there was contact or if he stepped on his foot as he clearly dives to win the pen. It's cheating regardless. Any dive is bad.

If it was a foul, but the foul is only given if he dives to the floor, is it wrong to dive? Surely we should be blaming the ref in that case as he should be consistent with a decision and not swayed depending on if a player hits the floor or not.

 

[nwgull]

If it was a foul, but the foul is only given if he dives to the floor, is it wrong to dive? Surely we should be blaming the ref in that case as he should be consistent with a decision and not swayed depending on if a player hits the floor or not.

This is a very good point. I can't think of a ref ever giving a penalty unless the player hits the deck. A foul doesn't necessarily have to cause a player to fall: a shirt pull holding them back for example.

 

[Seagull58]

He is a horrible, cheating ****. He exists because of people like Ernest who only care about winning at any costs and if you have to cheat to do it, oh well, whatever. I hate it. I hated it when Michael Owen did it, I hate it when Albion players do it and it's one of the reasons I don't love the game as much as I used to. How anyone can watch that and think that a slight contact on his foot made him fall like that is beyond me. You're kidding yourself.
Trust me I'm not ranting about the dirty foreigner here, we've got loads of cheats as well.

I'd just ban the divers for months. See how much they'd do it then but it's not going to happen is it ? It's ingrained and sullies the worlds greatest sport.

I totally agree. 4 months ban starting today please.

 

[Seagull58]

FIFA do seem powerless or at least rudderless when it comes to this form of cheating. I'm hoping that at some point an example of blatant diving is so obvious and changes a game so dramatically they will be shamed in to looking at the issue seriously. How some of these players can do post match press conferences so happily knowing that they dived and knowing that in slow motion from several angles millions of tv viewers can see there is no contact is beyond me.

An example like Robben last night you mean.

 

[Deleted member 22389]

Thought he made a right meal of it if I am honest with you. He could have stayed on his feet. I said on a thread last week, that it's part of the game and that if it England did it, everyone would accept it. However after seeing how well Mexico played they certainly didn't deserve to go out yesterday. It pissed me. Hope it comes back to bite Holland in the next round now.

 

[TWOCHOICEStom]

The earlier incident where he was fouled but stayed on his feet resulted in a missed chance and no penalty.

The bottom line is that if you don't go down, you don't get a pen. The officiating needs to change, not the players.

 

[Worried Man Blues]

I'll raise that to 6 months starting yesterday.

I totally agree. 4 months ban starting today please.

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

If officials gave penalties and free kicks when a player is fouled but stays on their feet there wouldn't be a need for cheating.

Play the 'advantage' by all means but if none accrues then award the penalty.

Far more penalties are not awarded that should have been than are given that shouldn't have been.

That's not the point. These players drags their leg across the tackler so that there is contact (note contact, not a foul) purely so that they can fall over. Some, as with robben yesterday, even dive into the challenges to make sure there is contact. Occasionally, as in the first half, they mistime this and are seen for the insidious cheats that they are. When obviously caught out, Robben then magnanimous admits that it was a dive and acts contrite. It's sickening.

 

[KZNSeagull]

I am not sure that a player can be called "great" when they have to resort to cheating (Maradona being the prime example). But it has been going on for so long now that it is practically ignored. What happened to yellow cards for simulation? If the ref in the next game books him twice for doing it, there would be a huge backlash against the ref, which is totally wrong. The rules are there, the ref's are just too scared to enforce them. It is ruining the game for me.

 

[BensGrandad]

I cannot understand all this vilification of Robben undeniably it was a trip which means a direct free kick or penalty if in the box so the right decision by the ref. If and I say IF he dived to emphasise the fact he had been tripped, this is totally immaterial and does not make the trip right.

The only culprit was the defender making a reckless and unnecessary challenge in the box.

 

[jonny.rainbow]

This is a very good point. I can't think of a ref ever giving a penalty unless the player hits the deck. A foul doesn't necessarily have to cause a player to fall: a shirt pull holding them back for example.

Ireland v Spain 2002 World Cup.

Second penalty given when Hierro decided he couldn't wait for the final whistle to get Quinn's shirt.

 

[Postman Pat]

He has admitted that he dived in the first half to try and win a penalty, FIFA must be able to do some sort of retrospective action there. Bringing the game into disrepute and a 3 game ban if you ask me.

 

[dazzer6666]

It's ruining the game (regardless of whether this particular case was a dive or not). Some players must be spending hours practising this - almost certainly being filmed by club officials so they can review and refine their 'technique', otherwise they wouldn't be so good at it.

It's got to be time for 4th Officials to be consulted - all the BS spouted about 'interrupting the flow of the game' etc is nonsense. Replays can be instantaneous and 4th officials view relayed to the ref. Straight red for anyone found to be diving - would eradicate it from the game in no time.

Love how rugby has embraced the TMO and made it work.