Stop Cheating in Football

Like me, maybe you recently watched while the captains of quarterfinal teams in the FIFA World Cup read out grand statements requesting all football supporters renounce racism. I ask what credibility do footballers have for such grand gestures; most are nothing more then cheats and liars?

For the very same players then went on to captain teams intent on using every dirty trick they could get away with to cheat their way into winning a game of football. It seems in football now each game is simply acting and cheating. We must make a stand to restore the pride of this great game and stop cheating. Be it simulation, exaggeration or knowingly making false claims to gain a dishonest advantage.

This is no longer a case of the odd dive to gain a free kick. Players will lift their feet off the ground at the slightest hand on their shoulder. We see players fall to the ground holding their face when its clear they were never touched in that area. Players pretend to be injured just to hold the play up and often turn to the ref and simulate the showing of red or yellow card because they want to gain that advantage over the other team. Time as come to stop this as its already gone too far, referees are often fooled into giving decisions that effect the result and ruin the game as a spectacle.

I petition that nation federations of football (soccer) like the English FA should make the players sign a fair play policy statement and then be strong enough to enforce such a policy to drive this cheating out of the game from the highest level, even if it means star players dont play for their country.

Introducing such a policy will make the players think about their actions if those actions would result in a loss of their position in the national team. This could be done without much fuss at international level by asking each player to agree a national policy of respect for the game if they wish to represent their country.