I think we need to distinguish between divers abd feigners. Diving is due to refs becoming increasingly soft, Spurs pen sunday night was proof of that, there wasnt a dive but now in a contact sport we commonly hear pundits, pro’s, the media and commentators saying “well there was contact, so he has to give a penalty…” THATS NOT THE RULES! it seems the media and the Refs association have gradually changed the basic rules of football. After the Edu incident when his citing for diving was reversed because there may have been contact football was doomed. The question is whether they have simulated being fouled, not whether there has been any contact whatsoever… players should receive a ban 1 or 2 games for diving, use video evidence, leave the marginal decisions and just ban the obvious ones. This would cut out diving because it is a conscious decision to dive – a player can decide not to do this. This would completley cut it out. Same for feigning injury, when it is not marginal like the busquets or pedro clutching face with no contact then the peeking…. ban them for 3 or 4 matches… i can gurantee they will not do it again. Players do all these things because they know if they dont get caught there are no repercussions, all the associations are too lenient.

Re hackers being the reson for divers, i completely disagree – there were plenty of hackers in the 70′s and 80′s but no divers. it is a cultural thing brought in by foreighners… I play football in the Middle East at a decent level – may sound racist but all the british lads dont cheat or dive and all the arabs dive, cheat, even feign injury, its disgusting – before the influx of foreigners in the prem there wasnt this diving culture, now even the british players do it because if you want a pen then you leave a leg dangling etc….. if you cant beat em join em.

If it is one thing that annoys the bejaysus out of me it is players feigning injury, rolling around as if they were having their bladder forcibly removed and then leaping from a stretcher – Lazarus like – before racing around the pitch again.

Diving is a cancer on the game of football but looks set to stay unfortunately.