No Diving Please, We’re British.

For me, last night, we had a great result ruined by what can only be described as a shameful piece of play acting.

The game was essentially ruined when Hamburg’s goalkeeper was sent off after Robin van Persie collapsed in the box after the German stoppers foot grazed van Persie’s leg.

I am Arsenal through and through, I will always support Arsenal, through thick and thin, but this is something I can not defend. In the past I have lambasted Drogba, Robben, van Horseface, Ronaldo, Gerrard and I can not make any exception just because the latest offender is a Gooner.

Robin van Persie cheated, plain and simple and that is something that doesn’t sit well with me. I hated it when Pires did it, I hated it when Reyes did it and I didn’t much care for it last night either. The difference between the three is that the two former gooners were serial offenders, whereas this is the first time I’ve seen RvP get up to such antics and I firmly believe this was an act of frustraion after he lost his goal scoring opportunity by going past the keeper rather than an act of cold & calculated cheating nad hopefully Robin will feel shame when he’s see’s it again and will cut it out of his game.

The Hamburg keeper now faces a three match ban (hopefully the card will be rescinded) for a crime he did not commit, infact not only did he not commit a crime, he himself was a victim of crime, (he looked like he needed the help of a victim support group with all the tears!) maybe it’s time to change the rules.

Everyone associated with Hamburg has been cheated out of a chance to win the game, the fact that Arsenal were dominant before the sending off is by the by, the German outfit were still denied the chance to compete because of the acts of young Robin, something needs to be done.

In this day and age, where players are often brought before the FA with video evidence being used to punish, or indeed clear players of offences they have been accused of, surely the FA / The Premier League / FIFA / UEFA could get their heads together and come up with suitable guidlines to rid our beautiful game of this cancer which gets worse by the day?!

How often have we heard pf players or managers being fined or banned for bringing the game into disrepute?

I have taken this opportunity to look up the actual meaning of the word ‘disrepute’ to see if it actually relevent to this argument.

Disrepute – bad repute; low regard; disfavor.

Now correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t diving bringing the game into disrepute? Isn’t this vile behaviour making a mockery of our game?

Various campaigns have been set up to erradicate this from the game, but at the end of the day it’s just a lot of big talk, the time has come to hit these players hard, if a player is found guilty of ‘simulation’ they should be given a three match ban. Plain and simple.

Some may say this is punishing an entire team for the act of an individual, but in all honesty, how many managers do you think will put up with their players diving if they will only be able to play a quarter of his clubs games? How many football club boards are going to be happy to pay the wages of a player who can not play on Saturday because they cheat?

Something has to be done.