Throughout the history of soccer, flopping has been a significant problem that has pervaded the nature of the game. Also known as diving, this issue has reigned supreme especially in modern day soccer, as players will feign injuries in order to gain an advantage (often a free kick) for their respective teams. There are varying degrees to a flop. For example, minimal contact between opposing players can be exaggerated significantly; common incidents include the recipient of a slight tug or push falling over in dramatic fashion. On the other end of the spectrum, no contact between two players can result in a dive, as the recipient of the “foul” seeks to create the perception that he/she was hurt.
Contributing to the controversial nature of this part of the game is the fact that the referee decides whether or not a certain fouling action was legitimate or caused by flopping. Obviously, subjectivity and interpretation come into play, as well as the past flopping histories of players. The decision becomes even more strenuous when a legitimate or contrived foul is called in the penalty box, where a penalty kick is awarded. If the referee believes that the foul was dangerous, he/she may give the player who committed the foul a yellow or red card, thus adding salt to the wound.
This last year saw the emergence of a new award in professional soccer, the Fallon d’Floor. Obviously spoofing the Ballon d”Or, this award is given to the player whose glorious dive is deemed most worthy by anonymous internet voters. This years winner, titled Fish Out of Water, was Adryan with an amazing performance. The site also features popular stars such as Arjen Robben and Cristiano Ronaldo
Overall, flopping has a significant part in the game of soccer, particularly in recent years. Though FIFA has tried to encourage players to not dive, it does not seem that this trend will die down anytime soon. It will definitely be interesting to see how soccer progresses amidst this “movement” and how FIFA will combat this in the future. While generally considered to be a problem with the sport, some will argue that its a natural part of the game though taken to an extreme at times.
According to Fifa’s 2012-2013 Laws of the Game, players participating in “unsporting behaviour” should be punished for misconduct. They’re trying to add more frequent punishments for flopping. However, there is still no good way to determine whether a player is flopping or not. If FIFA were to allow review during the game, then it would take away from the flowing nature of the sport. However, it might be a good idea for them to note where they’re might have been questionable behaviour from the players and review these parts during halftime and maybe add some penalty kicks or whatever punishment they deem necessary before the second half.
I think it’s interesting that flopping has become so widespread but I don’t think that it’s surprising. With more players flopping, it becomes almost a necessity to do so if you want the attention from a referee. I wonder what FIFA has done in order to try combating it? My suggestion would be to allow for review for major calls, like a penalty in the box. Because such a call could allow for a penalty kick, which is much easier than scoring a goal during play, it makes sense for players to dive and try to get a call in their favor. If FIFA allowed for replays and reviews, I think it could definitely change the current state of the game.
Thanks for the post Conner, I agree that flopping has become a pretty significant issue in modern soccer. I’m really hoping that larger penalties will be put in place for people caught flopping. That being said, it can be hard to tell what is a legitimate fall and what is a flop.
Great post Connor! I agree, flopping will always exist in the game. Some leagues such as the EPL pride themselves on a game that is more “rough” and less prone to flopping, but it still happens nonetheless. I remember Neymar when he was just starting at Santos, he would flop constantly. This led many to question his ability to play in European leagues, where there is more physical contact, and some even said he had to “grow up” before he could play outside of Brazil. If you compare Neymar today to Neymar from 2011/2012, you will see that he flops much less. Apart from this “growing up” phase and wanting to be taken seriously as a player, I believe he realized that referees weren’t granting him the same free-kicks and penalty kicks as he now had a reputation for trying to fool referees for his advantage.
There is a very funny video that comments on how the Italian Soccer team used to practice flopping: