When are the Football League and the FA going to do something about diving? This season has been an absolute disgrace so far, and players like Curtis Weston of Gillingham are making an absolute mockery of the game, the officials and of the fans who pay a fortune to attend football matches. Ref’s in League One are useless anyway, already sampled their stupidity this season, but the below decision to send off Norwich City’s keeper Fraser Forster is a shocker. Ref’s make mistakes and douche-bags like Weston dive, but something should be done after the game. Now Weston has gotten away with one, he will do it time and time again. The FA and Football League need to review these incidents and hand out bans.
The below travesty took place on Saturday at Gillingham. Thirty-three mins into the game and Weston jumps over the diving Forster, dropping his right leg to make contact (probably didn’t). The keeper is focused on the ball and the cheat dropped his leg as Forster has passed him on the ground. All the time Forster is focused on the ball, as it heads away from the goal. Weston’s dive would not look out of place on a high-board. While at speed, the ref is fooled, afterwards it’s pretty clear he cheated. Following the resulting penalty, the Gillingham players not only celebrated in front of the traveling contingent but they danced too. All while the ref watched.
Norwich equalized deep in stoppage time with ten-men to take a point from the game but that is no consolation, nor will it cancel Forster’s ban. Cheats like Weston need to be punished. Personally I think divers should be tied to a stake covered in barbed wire and beaten about the face with a pitbull, but I can over-react a little so I’ll settle for a 3 match ban. I have slowed the video down frame by frame at the end of the feed. Check it out for yourselves.
even if the keeper catches him, how is that a red? He’s going for the ball, it’s not like he drags down his trailing foot after being beaten. Under the circumstances, I see the argument that a yellow is harsh. Awful officiating.
But don’t say anything, Norwich coach and players. This is what I love about football…the referee can be a complete and absolute abortion and cost your team points. And he might be disciplined (more often than not, he’s not). But say anything, bam! Fine. Suspension. That’s a disgrace right there
Absolutely gorgeous ball to set up the attack.
@Whiz, I can understand the ref missing it, happens all the time, but the dive is shocking. Cheating sh*t bag.
@Ned — I understand him missing it too. What shocks me is the automatic red – he didn’t even think about it. It was a 50-50 ball; perhaps a slight 55-45 for the attacker, but the keeper came out and played the ball. His intent was to play the ball, not the man. Like I said, if the attacker nips the ball around him and the keeper drags him down, then a red is justified. But on this play, the red is harsh. If it had been my team, I’d think a yellow was harsh.
@Whiz, yep totally agree. League One refs have been shocking.
The ref may have thought the keeper denied an obvious goal scoring opportunity and as such it is an automatic red. Looking at the video it appears that the windmill is the cousin of the archer’s bow?
I had a player try to use the bow in a game I call this weekend, though since there was contact I just told him to get up and keep playing.
I’m siding with Georger. Obvious controversy aside, that was a delicious pass to release the diving bastard. Ibrahimovic would have been proud.
Norwich’s brilliant start to the season continues . . .
Terrible card, awful dive. My sympathies, Ned.
@ebullientfatalist. It’s fine mate. 2 home games coming, Lambert has lost one game, a bulls**t penalty at MK Dons and 2 wins this week will see us in the top 6 by next Saturday. Happy.