Instead, we are in a situation where players – from all over the world – are making the most of every single contact. The penalty Kylian Mbappe won against Portugal in the group stage is a perfect case in point. Referees need to reward honesty if it's to change." Rashford is one of the most admirable figures in football today, so the fact that even he felt compelled to embrace a more cynical approach to winning fouls hammers home that there is a major problem with the way in which the game is governed and officiated on a global level.Īfter watching Belgium's Romelu Lukaku stay on his feet despite being repeatedly fouled during the same burst forward by a host of Portugal players, and then not be awarded a free-kick, Lineker himself pointed out on Twitter, " is exactly why players dive. "After that, we started to get a few," the England forward told the Football Writer's Association in January, "and it was something that, in terms of development, you have to learn and understand." Marcus Rashford even admitted last season that Jose Mourinho taught him to be more "savvy" about winning penalties during the Portuguese manager's time in charge of Manchester United. Play-acting is undeniably endemic in football and, remember, England, too have players prone to exagerrating contact. It would be wrong to get wrapped up in petty jibes, but the English media's longstanding 'holier-than-thou' attitude on this topic is baffling. Indeed, in an editorial published in La Repubblica on Saturday, a bemused Maurizio Crosetti wondered if the English were upset by what they view as "the usual Latin mischievousness".Īs well as offering a reminder that only "he who is without sin ", Crosetti closed his piece paraphrasing Lineker by arguing that "Football is a sport where 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the English are always bitter, because they haven’t won anything since 1966." It is perfectly acceptable to express disgust with simulation, but one cannot be selective and chime in only when it supports outdated national stereotypes. It has since transpired that the Roma full-back had ruptured his achilles tendon, leaving him facing months on the sideline. One commentator on BBC Radio 5 Live even suggested that Italy calling for a stretcher for the stricken Leonardo Spinazzola was an act of time-wasting. ![]() While Spain's AS was enthusing "This Italy is a joy" and L'Equipe was hailing a glorious "Italian lesson", some UK journalists and fans were arguing online that it was difficult to get behind the Azzurri because of a perceived level of cynicism that was apparently far worse than anything we have seen from every other side in the tournament. It is not just an Italian issue by any stretch of the imagination, so it was strange that it immediately became the main talking point in England after the highest-quality contest of an enjoyable European Championship to date. That is debatable, of course, but what is beyond dispute is that football, in general, still has a massive problem with simulation. Richards quipped: "I've seen you do that before." A still unamused Shearer replied: "Never." You can see him have a look at the referee before he goes down." On BBC Sport's coverage, former Germany international and diving pioneer Jurgen Klinsmann was obviously in no position to take a moral stand, but fellow pundit Alan Shearer was incensed.Īs host Gary Lineker and Michah Richards made light of the Immobile incident, Shearer fumed: "I don't even want to laugh at that. It was indeed a disgraceful display of gamesmanship, rightly ridiculed and castigated. However, it was interesting to see just how much of a furore it created in England. The most egregious act of simulation actually occurred just before Nicolo Barella broke the deadlock in the first half, with Ciro Immobile falling to the ground – seemingly in agony – before making a rapid recovery after seeing his team-mate's thumping effort hit the back of the net.
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