After Fred’s outrageous dive against Croatia during the World Cup’s opener, the soccer community began arguing about the morality behind it. The majority of the people seem to blame the players for the lack of integrity that a dive displays.
Beyond disappointing: Fred lets himself go after the faintest of non-touches
However, is diving truly any different from a defender pretending there was no foul, when in reality there was? Is a player to blame if he acts as if he earned a corner-kick that should have been a goal-kick? Although not exactly a demonstration of fair play, a dive should not be treated any different from a 'tactical' fould to brake a counter-attack.
Everton's 35-year-old keeper won the CONCACAF in 2007 with the United States
Team USA goalkeeper, Tim Howard, talked about the controversy that surrounds the only rule-violation in soccer, that is blamed on the player rather than the referee. Everton’s goalie stated:
“I've got no problem with the Brazilian player going down. I would encourage my own players, if they felt contact, to go down. It's the referee's job and obligation and responsibility to get it right.”
Tim Howard was named in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year in 2003
The American goalie has a valid point, especially because dives may cause the 'diver' to receive a yellow card and are thus not risk-free. When a trophy is at stake, players will do whatever they can to win and it is up to the referee to allow the game to flow in the respect of the rules that govern it.
