Too much gamesmenship in soccer

I've seen way too many players eat dirt, hit the ground on purpose, put on a show, just to lay there, roll around, until either a whistle is blown or the ball goes out of play.

Can't bet soccer anymore, It's not a real sport anyways, just about any player would get destroyed  by any american sports star (even golf ones, tiger woods would lay the smack down on half these soccer 5'5 goons)

Walkin around, wasting time, helping each other up, I've never seen 2 teams so contempt in a major tournament. Obviously they don't get paid enough to run for 90 minutes

Oh well the rest of the world can enjoy soccer and live in the 3rd century BC.

American sports definitely have better athletes than soccer, look at Prince Fielder that guy is in great shape; he'd blow by someone like Ronaldo on the pitch.

these threads are so unbelievably ridiculous.  Don't bet on the matches if you don't like game.  To take it one step further, don't bitch about the matches if you don't win the bet that you made on a game you don't like. 

While I disagree about soccer not being a sport, I do agree about all the nonsense in this tounament, especially from the Portuguese. I blame it all on the refs tho, these guys are buying into the bullshit like crazy.

I've been a soccer ref for nearly 10 years and I see the kids I ref (12-18 usually) trying to pull these dives and fake injuries and I just let them get up after 5 seconds of looking for a call.

Ronaldo is the worst. In extra time when he was pushed off the ball cleanly, he was about to get up but when he saw Spain was attacking he fell back down. I can't believe the ref stopped play and let him get away with such an obvious bs tactic

flopping for a call is bad but I can understand it. The staying down, rolling around like you are in pain and waiting for the training staff to come out is what I cannot stand.

I was under the impression that the ref will stop play if it looks like an obvious head injury, but to stop an attacking side because of an unknown injury behind the play is uncalled for.

Gambling, those players are REALLY hurt... It's the cold spray the trainers use that miraculously heals these guys.


Another unique occurrence is getting carried off on a stretcher, then set down on the sidelines, and you are ready

...ready to play in 30 seconds after getting a drink.

The funniest part is when they fall down holding their head, then they show the replay and it's their shoulder they were hit in.  Then you're like ok, he'll get up, but he just stays down like he was shot in the face with a shotgun.

Please tell me again why we are comparing Calvin Johnson and Lionel Messi???




Oh that's right, because this is a forum to discuss who the best athletes in the world are.....




But you havent defined "best"




I've already discussed this in another thread so I not repeat. Yes diving is a problem. But more and more the refs are catching on a letting play continue.


I find it interesting how you see very little diving in the MLS, because the American fan wouldn't respect the athlete to who fakes an injury.


I agree with DanTos' comment about how replays show little to no contact, or the player is hit in a part of the body totally separate from the area he is holding.

dont blame the sport that is most played in the world cause you lost your bet. 

There's no sportsmanship in soccer. When a team is winning and there's not much time left look what they are doing. I don't quite remember which game it was but one of the players from the winning team fell down on the grass with barely any contact and ended up carried by a  stretcher but once he was carried out to the sideline he gets up and just walk away as if nothing happened. 

and fuck draws. What's the point of playing if they dont decide who wins?

And that's exactly how this issue needs to be eliminated. The diving issue is a cultural thing mostly predominant in Southern Europe; Spain, Portugal and the worst Italy. Similarly South America is bad. The higher we move North in Europe and America, the less the diving. In general I think that is because the fans does not appreciate divers. It's not very masculine to roll around playing hurt, if you really aren't, just to try and get a set piece or a card to the opponent.
British fans does not appreciate that and are known to boo of obvious diving, even from their own side. Not saying it doesn't exist in Premier League - it does of course, but it's much less than say Serie A.

We need the fans of Southern Europe and South America to stand up against the divers on their own teams. A round of booing from the home crowd can make any player reconsider their acting so the culture can change.

Take a look at this first hit I got on youtube about diving and notice the origin of the teams/players diving the most: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LC-H2wXK4T4

Diving is NOT part of the game.