The Art of Diving

Seldom does a season pass without the world of football expressing its collective disgust for at least one diving incident. Nearly two weeks on from Eduardo’s theatricals against Celtic and the debate continues to rage. As the perennial and all too predictable finger-wagging continues, isn’t it time to just accept ‘simulation’ as part of the game and move on?

It wasn’t so long ago that Eduardo cut a figure of huge public sympathy after sustaining a harrowing and career-threatening injury against Birmingham City. Then, earlier this year he was hailed a paragon of determination and bravery following his fight back to fitness. But today Eduardo is a villain and cheat. Period.

Well, that’s what some sections of the sporting media will have you believe.

The truth is that Eduardo is actually quite unfortunate. He did what every centre-forward will do at least once in their career. Sadly for him, he executed it dreadfully in a match with massive financial implications.

All of this is not to condone Eduardo’s behaviour. He cheated and has rightly been banned. But amidst the rhetoric and sniping about UEFA’s punishment for the Croatian, a far more interesting question has arisen. When is a dive a dive?

Just three days later, the penalty earned by Wayne Rooney against Arsenal took on even greater scrutiny. On first look it appeared to be a clear spot-kick, with Manuel Almunia making contact with the player and not the ball. But a repeat viewing in slow-motion reveals that Rooney was already on his way down before the collision. Therefore suggesting he manufactured contact with the keeper to garner the decision.

Although we’ll never know the truth of Rooney’s intentions, it begs the question, was it still a penalty and is there an art to diving?

Regardless of Rooney’s early descent, it could be argued that referee Mike Dean was still correct to award a penalty kick. Although it hardly seems fair, to the letter of the law, Almunia missed the ball and fouled the player.

In a utopian world of honest footballers, Wayne Rooney would have done everything he could to hurdle the oncoming keeper and chase down the ball. Sadly that world doesn’t exist and for decades centre-forwards have been ‘earning’ penalties in a similar manner.

So where is the line drawn between ‘earning’ and cheating? Is there a significant difference between blatantly diving and manufacturing contact? Possibly a small ethical advantage goes to the latter, where at least there is a minor element of skill involved.

The furor has been further heightened by the fact that Wayne Rooney is an English player. But our misplaced sense of superiority about fair play is outdated and arrogant. Tired clichés of cheating foreigners should have died out with Jurgen Klinsmann a decade ago. Look beyond the stereotypes and you’ll have noticed Andy Johnson, Robbie Keane and Michael Owen proving to be just as canny as their continental counterparts.

Earlier this week Scotland keeper Craig Gordon was castigated for suggesting that the rewards reaped by Eduardo’s dive were worth the ban. But as we approach South Africa 2010, one wonders how vociferous the anti-diving movement would be if Rooney helped England ‘earn’ the World Cup next summer?