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Fouled player but exaggerated reaction.

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Murri O

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On the weekend the ball carrier was held back deliberately by the defender as the ball carrier was going past him. (Roughly at the half way line.) Definite obvious foul and I blew it up but what irked me was the exaggerated flop that followed the infringement.

I heard the defender call him out for diving and I heard the attacker then say 'I wanted to make sure the ref saw it'. (I saw both the foul and the flop.)

Thinking about it later I would've loved to have called the foul and then carded the 'flopper' for unsporting conduct.

Would I be within my rights or am I asking for trouble?
 
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Your credibility would be shot to pieces. You'd have one player asking how it can be a foul if he is yellow carded for diving, and the carded player would be asking how it could be a dive when you had given the free kick.

Really not worth the potential hassle it is likely to cause you. Perhaps have a quiet word, but anything more public than that would be risky.
 
Permissible within the laws of the game. Would it work or not? Depends on the game. Sometimes you get those funny situations where everybody agrees there was a foul then a dive and a foul + card would actually be the perfect thing you could do for the game.

It would probably be a rare one for that to feel right - it would have to be a clear foul, followed by some really over-the-top exaggeration. Otherwise, are you sure the holding actually affected the player?
 
I would award the fk yes and also warn the attacker that am quite capable of calling fouls without the exaggeration and if it continued he runs the risk of ADTBI . I would not go on record saying I would certainly be giving a caution the next time it happens as if you do, your hands are tied, but I would either quietly or publically make it known that his he needs to cut it out.
I suppose you could even try mind games with the attacker, tell him quietly, "look, see when you make a meal of it like that, to some folk it will look like a dive, and I might end up thinking its a dive too".
might just make him think twice about doing it again
 
Otherwise, are you sure the holding actually affected the player?

Definitely. The holder had no problem with being called with the foul and admitted as much. He was annoyed with the carry on, as I was.

The bloke fouled also admitted it was an OTT reaction.
 
This is something I've always thought needs to be done, but have never done myself because of the difficulty involved. If a player really milked it to make some kind of point, I think I would consider getting a card out, but for an exaggerated fall, the best you can do is what @Ciley Myrus suggests and warn the player that a reaction like that carries a risk of being seen as a dive.
 
Unfortunately I think we as referees are responsible for this action.

Well have all seen it either on to or watching a game down the local rec, a player is fouled but manages to stay on their feet and for whatever reason the ref neither gives the foul or plays advantage.

Yes, there are lots of reasons why this can happen, due to positioning or a player blocking line of sight at the crucial moment.

But ive seen it a a few times in grass roots games where the only reason I can see for not giving the foul is because they don't want to risk match control, or the ref doesn't venture far from the centre circle.

In these instances players feel they need to exaggerate a foul or they won't get anything.

Seeing players do it on match of the day doesn't help either.

There might also be an element of "gamesmanship" where they exaggerate the foul in an attempt to getting the offending player cautioned or sent off, but I've never come across this in any of my games
 
In all my games I can't remember ever booking for an 'exaggeration. in a foul situation. Had I faced that situation I think its difficult to do much more than a stern warning, however its stored upstairs in the card locker for the appropriate moment.

I don't even think I've ever booked for a credible dive, they are hard to do with any professional conviction, i don't think they were actually good enough to try it!! Booked for most of the other stuff though!!
 
I've done it before. A player has been fouled but gone down like he's been shot. He was awarded a free kick for the foul and awarded a yellow card for simulation. Whilst he was fouled, he evidentially tried to deceive me by holding his head, despite me being absolutely certain that no contact with his head was made either during the foul or during his meticulously rehearsed flop to the floor. Deceptive little blighters!

A quick lecture to the player and all was well.
 
Not following this statement....

They actually teach players how to go down at professional level!!! Shock horror

At my level, they don't, and i don't think i can remember a situation when a player actually tried to blag me with one. it actually takes some level of skill to make a dive look credible. The players were a lot of things but diving for decisions didn't really happen. certainly seen lots of fouls but they didn't really do the simulation stuff!! Certainly remember players claiming for everything, pushes, pulls, trips etc but they weren't diving for them to try and con me.
 
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On the weekend the ball carrier was held back deliberately by the defender as the ball carrier was going past him. (Roughly at the half way line.) Definite obvious foul and I blew it up but what irked me was the exaggerated flop that followed the infringement.

I heard the defender call him out for diving and I heard the attacker then say 'I wanted to make sure the ref saw it'. (I saw both the foul and the flop.)

Thinking about it later I would've loved to have called the foul and then carded the 'flopper' for unsporting conduct.

Would I be within my rights or am I asking for trouble?
Coming late to this one. Had sign in issues.

Did the 'flopper' try to trick you into making an incorrect decision? From what you have written the answer is a definitive NO. He was fouled, you said it was an obvious one and the way you have written it he wasn’t trying to milk a card either.

So it would be against the laws of the game to sanction him for his action. I would just managed it with loud “I saw the foul, no need for the drama”. A few extracts from LOTG to justify my response.

16-17 Pdf Pg 85
Cautions for unsporting behaviour
attempts to deceive the referee e.g. by feigning injury or pretending to have been fouled (simulation)

16-17 pdf pg161
Deceive
Act to mislead/trick the referee into giving an incorrect decision/disciplinary sanction which benefits the deceiver and/or their team

16-17 pdf pg167
Simulation
An action which creates a wrong/false impression that something has occurred when it has not (see also deceive); committed by a player to gain an unfair
 
Award the free kick, tell the fouled player that there is no need for the histrionics and games. Move on
 
Award the free kick, tell the fouled player that there is no need for the histrionics and games. Move on
I see this is a fairly common response, but what happens if the player doesn't take your warnings and continues to make the most of any minor fouls? Is this a case of "you've warned him, so he can't be surprised when the card comes out", or are we saying that actually, this isn't a cautionable offence at all?
 
I see this is a fairly common response, but what happens if the player doesn't take your warnings and continues to make the most of any minor fouls? Is this a case of "you've warned him, so he can't be surprised when the card comes out", or are we saying that actually, this isn't a cautionable offence at all?
In that case I will caution him but not for simulation because as far as the LOTG is concerned it is not simulation. "shows a lack of respect for the game" is just as good as a reason as others may find.
 
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