Diana posted a link to this video on Twitter. It’s HILARIOUS.
These guys aren’t actually any more wimpy than your average fellow, but they certainly are melodramatic. And they have “good” reasons to be. The simple fact is that the way soccer is set up there is a big advantage to be gained, low penalties for faking, and low risk of being caught faking.
First, the advantages. You may have noticed that scores in soccer games are generally pretty low. Scores of 0 – 0 are not uncommon. Championships are often decided by the difference of a single point. And the game lasts 90 minutes. This means that a single point is VERY valuable.
Further, soccer is pretty strict about fouls and penalties. The restitution made to the victim of a foul could be an indirect kick at the goal where the fouled player is allowed to shoot at the goal without any pressure of other players rushing him. It’s called indirect because other players are allowed to stand between him and the goal. A direct kick could also be awarded and that’s where no one but the goalie stands between the kicker and the goal.
In really bad cases, cards may be given to the offender. Two Yellow Cards equals a Red Card and a Red Card gets you ejected from the game.
So, basically, being the victim of a foul can give you a very big chance to tip the game in your favor.
There is a penalty for unsporting behavior like faking an injury. If you’re REALLY bad about it, the ref could give YOU a yellow card and the advantage to the other team. But for the rate at which fouls and injuries are faked, this penalty is very, very rarely applied.
Which makes you wonder what the risk is of getting caught faking an injury. Very low. There are 22 people on the field at any given time, but there is one referee and two linemen to watch them all. Naturally, they’re usually watching the people with the ball, so if you’re not where the ball is, you’re probably not being watched by a game official. Also, soccer refs are traditionally very uppity about their reffing skills and refuse to use any sort of camera or replay technology to aid them in making good judgments.
So, what you have in soccer are near perfect conditions for this type of fraud.
As an American, I’m kind of ashamed for knowing this about such a boring sport, but you have indirect and direct kicks wrong. Indirect kick means that the kicker cannot directly kick the ball into the goal; the ball must touch someone else first for it to count. Direct kick means that the kicker can directly kick it in. For both of these, opposing players must be ten paces from the kicking spot, but they are allowed to block the goal. Penalty kick is the one where it is just the kicker vs the goalie in the penalty box, and that is only awarded for cards, I believe.
At least I have a good excuse for knowing this– I got paid to be a line ref in high school
Very good! Thanks for the correction.
A penalty kick doesn’t have to be awarded for a card. It’s awarded for almost any foul that occurs withing the 18-yard box. Sometimes, however, an indirect kick at the spot of the foul is rewarded for a foul in the box, but I’m not sure what type of foul this is for.
I don’t know what to tell you. The rules site I linked to states that “Any time a Yellow or Red Card is shown, a “direct” or “indirect kick” will also be awarded.”
The point of my post is that if we look at soccer as a game of economics, there are incentives to fake injuries. If there somewhat serious consequences for getting caught fouling versus the penalties usually awarded (none) for simply accusing another of fouling.
I think they try a couple of things, depending on what they want to accomplish:
1) Award fouls only in the most extreme cases like they do in hockey.
2) Start using technology to check for fouls and rule breaking and be very strict about applying penalties.
The first option seems like it would be the most exciting, but the second seems more humane.