Wiene & Whines
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At a time when Bohemians won their first ever League of Ireland title in 1924, an incredibly influential European film was released in Germany: the Robert Wiene directed Hands of Orlac. While watching that film last week – for a very valid reason, I assure you, and not because I’ve a fondness for grainy quality silent cinema – an unusual link to modern football popped into my head.
Wiene was at the centre of the German Expressionism movement, a style that was based around theatrical acting, and in the hit film Conrad Veidt’s character Paul loses his hands in a railway accident. I don’t know whether to grimace or giggle when I write this, but some of today’s footballers act more convincingly to the slightest contact on the football pitch, an arena, just in case they need to be reminded, where there should be no acting unlike on the silver screen.
Perhaps there should be an Oscar for the best 90 minute performance? We do seem to have awards for almost everything else in football, so why not have another one.
Last week’s Champions League embarrassment in Spain got me thinking, what alternative ways could be implemented to stamp diving out of the game? To date I’ve seen three players booked in ten League of Ireland games this season for ‘simulation,’ and they are three too many.
A yellow card is not a big enough punishment for what must now be the worst form of cheating in the game. Some have, jokingly, suggested that we should introduce a pink card for divers. But in all seriousness, should deliberate attempts at fooling the referee warrant a sending off?
That would soon stop players from falling over fresh air in hope of a penalty kick and most importantly that would then return a sense of dignity back to the game. After all, with the people controlling the sport at the highest level so blatantly corrupt, football needs an injection of proper decorum.
One of the more obvious suggestions, and easy enough to implement into the highest levels of the game, is to introduce a sin-bin. If a player commits what is considered to be an act of simulation, then send him to the sideline for ten minutes.
It is such a disgraceful way of trying to bend the rules that a more severe punishment should be introduced. Whether FIFA are bothered with taking one of the many cancers eating away at football seriously remains to be seen, but the increase in this cheating disease is spreading like wildfire and it needs to be quenched before all levels of football are inundated with whiny weaklings.
Wiene was at the centre of the German Expressionism movement, a style that was based around theatrical acting, and in the hit film Conrad Veidt’s character Paul loses his hands in a railway accident. I don’t know whether to grimace or giggle when I write this, but some of today’s footballers act more convincingly to the slightest contact on the football pitch, an arena, just in case they need to be reminded, where there should be no acting unlike on the silver screen.
Perhaps there should be an Oscar for the best 90 minute performance? We do seem to have awards for almost everything else in football, so why not have another one.
Last week’s Champions League embarrassment in Spain got me thinking, what alternative ways could be implemented to stamp diving out of the game? To date I’ve seen three players booked in ten League of Ireland games this season for ‘simulation,’ and they are three too many.
A yellow card is not a big enough punishment for what must now be the worst form of cheating in the game. Some have, jokingly, suggested that we should introduce a pink card for divers. But in all seriousness, should deliberate attempts at fooling the referee warrant a sending off?
That would soon stop players from falling over fresh air in hope of a penalty kick and most importantly that would then return a sense of dignity back to the game. After all, with the people controlling the sport at the highest level so blatantly corrupt, football needs an injection of proper decorum.
One of the more obvious suggestions, and easy enough to implement into the highest levels of the game, is to introduce a sin-bin. If a player commits what is considered to be an act of simulation, then send him to the sideline for ten minutes.
It is such a disgraceful way of trying to bend the rules that a more severe punishment should be introduced. Whether FIFA are bothered with taking one of the many cancers eating away at football seriously remains to be seen, but the increase in this cheating disease is spreading like wildfire and it needs to be quenched before all levels of football are inundated with whiny weaklings.
About Alan Smith
Alan Smith works as a sub-editor for the Guardian newspaper in London. Originally from Cork, he freelances for several other newspapers and websites. Follow him on twitter @alansmith90. View Full Profile