Eduardo Dive

Are you saying that a dive resulting in a goal is not worse than a dive resulting in a free kick 60 yards from goal?

Ultimately, a dive is a dive. So you don't just want UEFA (or whoever) to pick out single incidents at random to punish. Presumably based on how big the outcry is. Now you want some sort of points value attached to each dive. Isn't cheating (your word) the same no matter where it occurs on the pitch? Does this mean that it will be OK for UEFA not to punish random dives which occur outside the penalty area because they aren't serious enough? 

MASSIVE dive. hang your head in shame gooners

you would get 2 years in prison for doing what Taylor did on the street. UberGunner2009-08-28 14:50:15

Haha, Eduardo was diving and, as a rule, I think diving should be taken out of the game. Yeah, if/when Gerrard dives he should be banned too. But there is a difference in 'being light on your feet' and diving (I'm not saying Gerrard hasn't dived, mind). I just think it is ridiculous that players can get away with that kind of stuff. It is just so stupid. Whether it is Torres, Ronaldo or whoever, it annoys me.

Also, kick back on Gerrard!! I wouldn't take being spoken to like that if I'd had a few (not that I drink, like) and I'm sure most people around the world have thrown a few punches and nothing has been made of it.

Go back to the sick bay

Was thinking about this earlier - some people would have Eduardo suspended for almost the same number of games as Taylor. Crazy really.

i can't really believe how much attention this is getting.

This is all a crock of sh*t, it astounds me that there's even a dedicated thread about this. paulm2009-08-28 19:50:40

UEFA have become involved and the possibility of a two match ban has been mooted. I see no problem with that at all, so long as two things happen:

1 - They explain how a yellow card offence during a match becomes a two match ban off it

2 - They rigorously enforce the same standards across all UEFA competitions so any player who dives is banned for two games.

It just strikes me that in order to make number 2 happen a lot more thought needs to go into the process and a reactionary measure because the Scottish FA have got their haggisy old bollocks in a twist about it might be setting a dangerous precedent. You've got to give credit to Celtic manager Tony Mowbray, he hasn't been banging on and on about it, calling for punishment.

He understands the significance of the Eduardo penalty in the grand scheme of things, even if some of his players are deluding themselves somewhat. The pathetic comments from Celtic defender Glen Loovens about Eduardo's alleged inability to speak English do him little credit. Anyway, until something else happens the storm in this particular teacup ought to be left alone now.

That's fair.

FFA say that this year they are reviewing dives in the penalty area post match (I think that's right?). We've already had one in the Perth match and nothing happened, did it?  It's a good idea if done consistently but it is also the kind of situation that is open to abuse.  For example: the Warriors have got the rough end of the stick with the Aussie league judiciary over the years in post match reviews - so in practise these systems are not always fair.

It was a dive that Drogba or C Ronaldo or Gerrard would have been proud of especially as it earned a penalty and a goal.

UEFA are charging eduardo... new precedent set.

What an absolute load of shit. 

lol, a 2 match ban in the group stages is not what i would call terribly inconvenient, but having this ruling applied to us, is going to be a massive headache for UEFA. UberGunner2009-08-29 07:12:15

About time...cheating Gooner...

Actually the only thing i am surprised about is that the 'Kiddy Fiddler' saw it, famous for his classic line " Ahhh, I did not seee it"

that was brilliant

LOL the comment from a spurs fan - one of those that disappeared off the face of the earth in these threads until spurs stopped losing constantly... credibility: not a shred

Fantastic blog from soccernet on this:

Arsene Wenger cut an unusually angry figure in his weekly press conference on Friday as he described Uefa�s decision to charge Eduardo with 'intent to deceive the referee' as "a complete disgrace". For a man more prone to the diplomatic approach it was a very forceful reaction and, it must be said, a wholly understandable one.

His complaint that Eduardo has been made a scapegoat and that the focus on the Croatia striker has reached the levels of a witch-hunt is not hyperbole. When was the last time that a simple dive provoked such a hysterical reaction?

Uefa's decision to single out Eduardo is a strange one indeed. This was a moment that, in the context of the tie and with Arsenal leading 2-0 from the first leg, was fairly incidental. But the media reaction and focus has elevated this event, the kind of which occurs in any number of games on a given weekend, almost to the level of a diplomatic incident.

SFA chief executive Gordon Smith led the calls for retrospective punishment and, indeed, he has form in this regard having also lambasted Lithuania�s Salius Mikoliunas for a blatant dive against Scotland in a Euro 2008 qualifier at Hampden, with the player subsequently receiving a ban.

Such is his apparent distaste for divers it is tempting to speculate that Tom Daley must have grievously wronged him in some way in the past. Playing his iPod too loudly on the bus perhaps?

This is not to say that leading a campaign to eradicate simulation is not a worthy cause, of course it is. But Wenger will be acutely aware that without the furore generated from North of the Border, and had Eduardo taken a tumble against Fiorentina or Lyon, then there would have been nothing like the public outcry we have seen.

Players dive. Didier Drogba has admitted as much, Cristiano Ronaldo has a taste of the theatrical about him, Steven Gerrard has been known to throw himself to the ground and Arsenal fans should know better than most that had Robert Pires not dropped to the turf against Portsmouth in 2003-2004 then they may not have gone the season unbeaten.

None of these are excusable, but why single out Eduardo for special treatment? He doesn't even have a notable track record of simulation.

Wenger is right when he says that Uefa have opened a door that they now may struggle to close. If Eduardo is punished for 'intent to deceive the referee' then are we to demand retrospective bans for players who claim a corner when they know full well that the ball came off their opponent?

What about players who feign injury only to enjoy a miraculous recovery, or those who keep quiet when such offences occur? After all, Uefa�s law states that: "Players may be suspended for two competition matches, or for a specified period, for acting with the obvious intent to cause any match official to make an incorrect decision or supporting his error of judgement and thereby causing him to make an incorrect decision."

Presumably, Uefa are currently on the phone to Bristol City to ensure that the entire team that witnessed Freddie Sears' 'goal' for Crystal Palace are on the receiving end of a two-game ban.

Their law, which they so infrequently choose to invoke, demands a level of honesty and fair play that, sadly, just does not exist in the modern game and probably never will.

Back to the Eduardo case and, furthermore, why is the spectre of a suspension hanging over the striker when, if spotted by the referee at the time, this is an offence that commands a yellow card at the very most? The possible punishment does not fit the crime, and Eduardo is not deserving of the public lynching he is receiving at the moment.

This should not be construed as a defence of simulation, more a recognition that one player has been singled out for extreme and unusual punishment for an offence that occurs on a weekly basis. It shouldn�t, but it does.

If the laws of the game are changed and a blatant dive incurs a red card then so be it. That may be the way forward. All players will be similarly affected and, presumably, similarly dissuaded from indulging in a dramatic flourish.

But Uefa have undermined the authority of their referee and called on video replays when usually they shun them. Will every diver in the Champions League this season be banned for two games? As Wenger says, the lack of consistency and logic is bemusing.

Eduardo is far from being an angel in this whole controversy, and it is stretching credulity to suggest that there was decisive contact from Artur Boruc, but that does not mean that he should be treated like he has committed a cardinal sin.

The judgement cast down from the media and Uefa has been out of all proportion in this case.

That is a good article. For those arguing for this ban, the main point you seem to missing from everyone arguing against it is best explained in this sentence pulled from the article;

Think about it this way.

No, your predicting an outcome of the next 100 divers.
this is not to say I disagree with what you seem to suggest is the most likely scenario.

most interesting paragraph is #12
UEFA can claim this is the line in the sand and this is what happens to cheats
if they are GENUINELY SERIOUS about this and I for one fervently hope they are, then lets get review panels to bust the cheats.

I also want to see 2 game bans for the tackle 60 meters out on the guy making the off the ball run when it's counter attack time.So many goal chances are snuffed by this nefarious tactic of "killing" the support runner.

If we want to deal to cheating or unsporting play let this seemingly "low value" incident be the bench mark. They'll be 4 incidents a game on average I say.

and we will accept comments from The Tottenham half when they actually get to play a game that is of importance for the outcome of the season.

LOL

Watching the News last night I saw an Arsenal player doing a horrendous dive against Man Utd. Wasn't Eduardo again, was it?

Tevez ripped out a beauty just before half time last night.

As Paulm has stated, Aiden McGeady sent off against Hibs for diving last night! HA HA.

This is becoming a farce.

well I reckon it has got worse in say the last 3-4 seasons
maybe there is more coverage of it???

but when you have People in Positions of Power who actively and publicly encourage cheating, ala Sir Alex Ferguson and his comments around Fletcher's "contribution" to this weekends game it probably is no wonder.

also if it's all about winning and there is no sanction after the on the field decisions
why not use the fact that your going to get a home town ref at Old Trafford
History shows us they can get away with seemingly anything
so why not try it on
your coach don't care


other angry people can substitute OT with
Bernabeu
Turin
Munich
Hampden
etc...