The use of the dark arts in football is nothing new and has been in the game for many years, gaining that little edge over your opponent to win a game is part and parcel of football and even more so now what with the money and prizes at stake in the modern-day game, but it doesn't make it right and if anything is making many of us turn our backs on top-level football.
One of the most frustrating things for fans is seeing players feigning injury to get their opponent sent off, or falling over with the slightest bit of contact to win a freekick or penalty or just to run the clock down at the end of a game, but let's be honest about it, do we complain when our players do it?
Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid are probably one of the finest modern-day examples, albeit some admire them for it, it's fair to say the majority think they are a disgrace to football and took great pleasure when Manchester City's Phil Foden beat them at their own game!
The topic of time wasting was highlighted at the recent Arsenal v Newcastle game when the ball was in play for just 51min 23sec, 4 minutes less than the Premier League average for the season, this statistic has brought calls for a stopwatch to be introduced like there is in rugby or for the referee to add on more time as we saw in the recent World Cup which we think is fair to say actually worked.
Let's face it, we pay a lot of money to go to a game so it's only right we get to watch the ball in play, one of the best-ever rule changes was outlawing the back pass some 30 years ago, it not only stopped the monotonous time wasting but sped the game up and created a more exciting spectacle for the fans, this brought about the art of taking the ball to the opposition's corner and killing a few seconds which requires skill and body strength which is a big part of football.
Dissent towards the officials is also a form of time-wasting.
It's bad enough seeing players surround the ref and getting in his face (something that was meant to be cracked down on but has it?) for every free kick he gives or doesn't give, but now the managers are getting in the 4th official's face whilst spending more time outside their technical areas than in them where they should be, this usually gets the ref to trot over and kill even more time.
The video below shows a referee taking no backchat off the players (ok it's a bit OTT 😂) but I bet they didn't question him again!
The biggest change in top-flight football in recent years has been the introduction of VAR, but what has it achieved?
It definitely hasn't sped the game up in fact it's done the opposite, it doesn't even get every decision right, and it hasn't stopped players from diving and feigning injury either, all it's done is make the game experience for fans less enjoyable, yes, the way it has been implemented is very questionable and needs work but modern technology doesn't have to be the way forward and it's only available to the elite level anyway! what is needed is more robust rules and sanctions against the players and managers who continue to berate the officials, it's no coincidence that at the grassroots level including youth games, there has been a big increase in abuse and attacks on referees and people wonder why there is a shortage of officials.
Young kids watch their idols on TV and you see their actions transpired onto park football pitches all around the country.
Players and managers in the professional game need to lead by example and the governing bodies need to grow some minerals and implement stronger rules.
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