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EastStandBlue

Life President
Joined
May 29, 2005
Messages
15,519
Strikers around the world rejoice! You can indeed feign a collision with a goalkeeper, be awarded a penalty, and even escape punishment when replays show you for the cheat you are.

UEFA bowed to Arsenal's appeal and today retracted Eduardo's two-game ban levied at him in the wake of his antics at Celtic Park. Arsenal are "grateful the right decision has been reached" while the rest of the football community will fall into one of two categories; they either support Eduardo and believe he's innocent, i.e. Arsenal fans, or they believe that Uefa have missed a fine chance to crack down on diving once and for all, i.e. everybody else.

Diving has, in recent years, become something of a nuisance at all levels of football. You can blame who you like, the arrival of Johnny Foreigner, the importance of set pieces or the sheer competitiveness of the sport these days, but the true villains are those of the governing bodies who have, time and time again, failed to act appropriately when these instances have arisen.

Goalkeepers will now suffer. The ability to dive low to collect the ball from an incoming forward remains, in the rapid pace of todays game, to be one of the greatest weapons at a good 'keepers disposal. Now, he'll have to think twice at this, as all the power has been placed in the strikers court. Uefa have rooted all goalkeepers to their lines more effectively than any No More Nails advert ever could.

Arsenal have also commented that the initial Uefa investigations was "flawed" and, essentially, they are correct. The way Eduardo's name was dragged through the mud was overly harsh, it took the SFA to get involved on Celtic's behalf to induce a punishment and the whole ordeal took the general feel of sour grapes. Celtic didn't qualify, but they'll leave their mark on Arsenal's campaign.

Regardless of this, the plain and basic truth is that Eduardo simulated a collision with Artur Boruc in order to win a meaningless penalty. With this judgement Uefa have accomplished absolutely nothing. Nada. Zip. Zero. What is more dangerous, however, is the interpreted message that this ruling brings.. That it is ok for a striker to simulate contact to win a game-changing penalty. Even if you get caught, you'll be fine as long as you play for a big club.
 
Good piece, but I stand by my view that there was contact (only noticeable when looking at the angle behind the goal line). There is enough doubt that a 2 match punishment is unwarrented. UEFA will have enough opportunities with clear cut dives in the CL to throw their wight around
 
Yeah, I'm far more concerned that it's taken an unfounded appeal for Uefa to retract a punishment that, in all fairness, wasn't that severe at all.
 
And Eduardo, The man who shouldn't be playing, has just robbed Standard Liege of a well fought point in the Champions League group.


I'm guessing Liege might have something to say about that...
 
He was always going to score once the ban was lifted, which was an injustice in itself.

Nice to see he cost his side the first goal with that "flick" on the edge of his own box.
 
It was an absurd investigation in the first place. UEFA surely could see the can of angry pythons that they were about to open but they went ahead with it anyway, then backed down knowing exactly what would happen.

Besides which, you see much worse dives pretty much every weekend. Yes it was a dive but the keeper was flying out and was only a few inches away from him.
 
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