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[–]SecretSnack 1124 points1125 points ago

Imagine if FIFA made this rule:

When a player displays severe pain, they are automatically out of the game. It wouldn't be like a red card, they would simply be sidelined, subbed for, and treated as though they had a real injury. (This still wouldn't discourage late-game flopping, so maybe players who flop near game's end must sit out half the next game.)

Voila! No more theatrical bullshit.

[–]boozecruisin 224 points225 points ago

I've always supported this. You can even just introduce the stretcher rule: if you need a stretcher to get off, your game is over. No coming back.

[–]redditvlli 131 points132 points ago

Most of these floppers don't wait for the stretcher though. They just wait long enough for the red/yellow card and then hop right back up. I say if you are writhing on the ground to the point where play has to be stopped, off you go.

[–]getmeaburrito 21 points22 points ago

If they require a trainer to come on to the field they must go off the field before the ball can be put back into play. Usually the ref will wave on a trainer if they think the injury is severe enough. They can be subbed back in at the next opportunity if the team has enough subs left.

[–]enjoytheshow 3 points4 points ago

Right, but I think the idea here was that those players should not be allowed to come back in the game. If you go off the field for medical reasons, real or not, you shouldn't be able to come back on.

[–]getmeaburrito 7 points8 points ago

You can get a muscle cramp that requires help off the field and a quick break for a stretch and water and you can be back like new in 5 minutes. It depends on the severity. Don't hold your ankle like it's fucking shattered and then sprint around.

[–]SomethingF0rNothing 14 points15 points ago

And make sure they have these guys take them off the field: http://youtu.be/oxXbATMeSYc

[–]scamps1 12 points13 points ago

I don't think I've seen a player go off on a stretcher to come back on. If they have, enlighten me?

[–]Bropain 80 points81 points ago

Womens World Cup 2011 USA vs Brazil

Video is a little long so I cut to the important part.

[–]getmeaburrito 43 points44 points ago

I don't think I have ever screamed at my TV louder than this moment. HORRIBLE sportsmanship by Brazil. I feel angry now.

[–]TylerDurdenisreal 35 points36 points ago

Brazil's all "huehuehuehuehehauehauhehauehaeauh"

[–]ARoguePumpkin 23 points24 points ago

[–]cwmoo740 6 points7 points ago

[–]jsstaedtler 3 points4 points ago

Maybe you can answer this... how is that pronounced? Is it "hway hway hway," or "hyoo hyoo hyoo?"

[–]bakdom146 36 points37 points ago

The entire game was just like that. Fucking foulest game I've ever watched. Dirtiest bullshit from Brazil all game long.

[–]Euphorium 6 points7 points ago

I was pissed off the whole game, especially at Marta's constant bullshit.

[–]daaaaaaaaniel 4 points5 points ago

Which made the end that much sweeter.

[–]HighFiveYourFace 2 points3 points ago

[–]CyberDonkey 7 points8 points ago

Why do they run with their arms like that?

[–]ypro 0 points1 point ago

Um, a RM player did this once AFAIK.

[–]dukerutledge 266 points267 points ago

That is actually a good idea. At first I thought, "but what if they are in real pain?" And then your strung it all together.

[–]BetaKeyTakeaway 242 points243 points ago

He spun it all together.

Like a spider.

A tasty spider.

Don't you love it when they crawl around in your mouth before you start chewing their long, hairy legs off?

[–]FartsFTW 330 points331 points ago

What the fuck is wrong with you?

[–]c0ur4ge 42 points43 points ago

Says the poop-air enthusiast.

[–]bralynn 64 points65 points ago

Don't you listen to this guy BetaKeyTakeaway, you just keep doing your thing.

[–]Crackerpool 5 points6 points ago

If he does there will be less beta keys for us!

[–]RaindropBebop 3 points4 points ago

I don't know what's wrong with him, but I like it.

[–]Spaghetti-Bender 23 points24 points ago

I swear to god that my salad just twitched in my mouth.

Damn you. Damn you to spidery hell!!!!

[–]Not_BillMurray 8 points9 points ago

You mean buffet?

[–]smpx 7 points8 points ago

That actually brought me images of eating soft shell crab. Fuck. Now I want sushi.

[–]Lord_Mormont 4 points5 points ago

That was my idea. You owe me $233.95. But you get the eighth leg for free.

[–]counttotoo 21 points22 points ago

Maybe even a post game red card. So the player who fakes doesn't get to play next two games. Or automatically gets sent of of the field as an injured player and doesnt get to go in for at least 15 min. And the only option coach has is a substitution, which is logical because if you are rolling around in pain you are in no condition to play.

[–]Coda17 10 points11 points ago

This is the solution I always wanted. If they have some official review a tape and see anything that is blatantly acting then the player gets fined and/or suspended from playing for some number of games.

[–]icaaryal 4 points5 points ago

MLS introduced a disciplinary committee last year that issues punishment for "simulation" and other violations that were not called during the match. Brek Shea of FC Dallas was suspended for 3 games for kicking the ball at the 4th official.

[–]salaryprotection 2 points3 points ago

I like this, however would the rules change for flopping in championship games ie the last game of the season?

[–]PilferingPoncho 18 points19 points ago

He wasn't faking!! You can't clearly see the other guys hand! It looks like this: http://pictures.picpedia.com/2012/09/Sharp_Fingernails.jpg

[–]davie18 4 points5 points ago

They already have a rule sort of like this.

Basically if you receive any sort of treatment, you are forced to go off the field after receiving said treatment until the referee says you can rejoin.

Personally I hate the rule though, because you get players that are legitimately injured and need to get some treatment, and then by the law of the game they have to they go off the field even if they don't need to get any further treatment at the side of the pitch. It punishes the innocent as well as the guilty.

Your rule would make it even worse though. I mean say Messi got injured playing for Barcelona and was bleeding. This happens often in a game but they can quickly bandage it up or even stich it up very quickly if need be and then continue playing. It seems though you're implying that it should be a rule that this player should be forced to get subbed off instead? Doesn't sem fair at all to me.

[–]mjolk22 19 points20 points ago

What fifa needs to do is to allow the referees to stop the game and watch the replay whenever they want. Forcing referees to make quick decisions is the problem here, not the players.

[–]controlmath 10 points11 points ago

Or just have a replay official that's just watching the monitors for this sort of thing. They certainly can afford it.

[–]mjolk22 2 points3 points ago

Yes that would obviously be needed to save some time but the referee still has to watch it himself and make the final decision.

[–]Dev_il 3 points4 points ago

But that would make the game so stop-start it wouldn't be worth watching.

[–]Null_Reference_ 2 points3 points ago

I like to imagine how it would be if we lived in opposite world, and it was America that loved "soccer" and the rest of the world watched NFL style football.

Pssh fucking Americans. To impatient to wait 20 seconds to see if a game winning goal was scored... Is your attention span that short America?


Bloodsports are alive and well in America.... It is 2013, put some protective pads on your players. Yet again America is behind the times.


Jeez America nice sportsmanship. Can you get through a single game without someone flailing around like a fish trying to CHEAT their way to a win?


I can't believe how these American fans behave at games. It is like that entire country is full of neanderthals looking for a fight.

[–]tbone466 60 points61 points ago

People genuinely get injuries like stingers which hurt like a bitch right away but often the pain goes away fairly soon. Flopping in soccer is ridiculous but your rule seems a bit extreme.

[–]InfiniteLiveZ 24 points25 points ago

Anyone who has ever banged their elbow or stubbed their toe should know this intense but short lived pain.

[–]vtron 47 points48 points ago

Yeah, but most people don't roll around on the floor like they were stabbed after banging an elbow or stubbing their toe.

[–]Jables237 4 points5 points ago

or having their ear flicked.

[–]SecretSnack 12 points13 points ago

The fairness of it would hinge on how "a display of severe pain" is judged. Pain behavior would need to be judged on some objective basis, for example if a player is unable or unwilling to stand up after 30 seconds.

[–]scamps1 25 points26 points ago

Stingers are incredibly painful though, depending on the type.

Speaking from rugby, its usually from a tackle, and its affects your collarbone. Its absolute agony, and your whole arm is in pain for a couple of minutes. After that, you're fine. It happens fairly often too in the pro game.

I'd imagine there's something similar in football

[–]MaxTheHedgehog 15 points16 points ago

In rugby, once you go off, you are done. Unless you are in a skilled position and have to come in due to other injuries or you went off due to blood.

I have had dislocated shoulders and severe stingers, and you are right, for the first minute or so you cannot tell the difference. However, due to the nature of rugby vs footy, me being out is a lot more damaging to my team than the footballer that takes a dive for a penalty. Overacting is also not a problem in rugby, as even a hint of it is an international outcry (see bloodgate)

[–]maveric1k 11 points12 points ago

Better yet, the player exhibiting these theatrics should have the actual injury inflicted upon them. For example this guy should have his ear ripped off as punishment. Too harsh?

[–]superhammergeil 11 points12 points ago

Would definitely get me to start watching this sport.

[–]deathonthestairs 16 points17 points ago

But then teams would really easily be able to get rid of the other team's best players

[–]smpx 36 points37 points ago

Well you aren't able to just go around MAIMING players now, there will still be penalties for assaults.

[–]NinjaSupplyCompany 2 points3 points ago

In US football, don't you have to sit out the next play if the clock had to be stopped because you were not getting up?

[–]Kooterade8 6 points7 points ago

The issue with a rule like this is that over time the players and fans might end up adopting an american football-like "play through pain" macho culture. This would lead to players playing through injury and getting hurt further.

[–]Hedonopoly 18 points19 points ago

So since there's a possibility it might swing to the extreme the other way, we should just leave it at the extreme this way?

[–]DaEvil1 6 points7 points ago

It's not at an extreme though. It's problematic yes, but there is no need for many new rules since most of these situations are already covered. The problem is in the enforcement of the rules along with how FIFA insists on no technological means of helping. Adding random rules like this makes little sense.

[–]VapeApe 13 points14 points ago

They're professional athletes, they should expect injuries.

[–]Gunrack4 327 points328 points ago

I fucking hate shit like this in sports.

[–]dirice87 187 points188 points ago

im more mad at her acting ability

"im in so much pain i collapse to the floor...slowly and gingerly as to not ruffle my pantsuit"

[–]IGetDrunkAndPlayN64 70 points71 points ago

Well if she actually fell to the floor she probably would've hurt herself seeing as she looks 98

[–]Robotochan 25 points26 points ago

She won damages as far as I recall.

[–]nbenzi 80 points81 points ago

I refuse to believe that until I see proof.

[–]NathanArizona 22 points23 points ago

She won a settlement actually... $1.3 billion I think I heard.

[–]DrKilory 19 points20 points ago

Na man, I heard it was like 7 quadbillion

[–]VapeApe 15 points16 points ago

This is why if you're going to hit someone you make it worth it.

[–]10minsmax 6 points7 points ago

People like this should be wiped off the face of the earth.

[–]LegalizeCrystalMeth 4 points5 points ago

I second this vague recollection.

[–]TheThingInTheBassAmp 15 points16 points ago

I love her scream.

[–]whitetzor 50 points51 points ago

"she sounds like r2d2"

[–]Womjack 29 points30 points ago

Why does the judge keep saying she was struck in the eye?!

It was clearly the back of her head, where she needed eyes.

[–]JacKaL_37[!] 17 points18 points ago

That infuriated me on a primitive level. His blind fucktalking just played into and spread the growing ruckus. Blood-boiling ignorance, I say!

[–]GitEmSteveDave 4 points5 points ago

He's got a future as a tv reporter!

[–]mrdm242 24 points25 points ago

I know I've spent to much time on the internet because I knew exactly what this video was going to be...

[–]donkostrich 15 points16 points ago

is this court scene being transmitted from the moon?

[–]Mr_Walter_Sobchak 27 points28 points ago

I fucking hate shit like this in sports. soccer and basketball.

[–]ranger0293 26 points27 points ago

He's really good at hockey but no one ever accused him of being a hockey player.

[–]VonSandwich 17 points18 points ago

Cindy Crosby, amitrite guys?

[–]firebearhero 6 points7 points ago

well he is the exception in an otherwise pretty manly sport. crosby is a talented pussy.

[–]Dr_Gage 58 points59 points ago

That's why I like rugby better that football.

[–]S8G 94 points95 points ago

To be fair, that's a picture of when Beckham actually got injured and broke his foot (metatarsal) and was out for quite a while.

[–]firebearhero 11 points12 points ago

Eh, theres hockeyplayers who have played entire games with a broken foot and still called the MVP.

who cares if you have a little gash over your eye, stitch it up and its good to go. break your foot in a hockeygame and play the entire game? That shit is crazy.

[–]scarborough817 2 points3 points ago

im not saying hockey isn't as bad as rugby but rugby players don't wear padding the only protection you have is a mouth-guard and there are rugby players who have also played with broken feet they tape up their cleat and keep playing. it is also very common for rugby players to get broken ribs from getting tackled with their hands in the air. the worst case i have seen was one player had his spleen explode because of a tackle you can see it here just go to 1:05

[–]wootastic 2 points3 points ago

Pro tip:

&t=1m5s

[–]DrRegularAffection 47 points48 points ago

Reddit usually commends athletes who get crazy injuries and keep playing, but I think it's just plain stupid. First for thinking they're actually going to be a help to their team in the state their in (which is not only stupid, but selfish and arrogant), and second because his fucking head his gashed open and it's not badass to keep playing anyway because it is a sport and not the military. Have some common sense.

That should be equally disallowed as faking ridiculous injuries, as it only encourages athletes to macho it up and ignore serious issues.

[–]fezzuk 7 points8 points ago

i don't think this guys knows how bad it is, its not unusual to bleed a little from a cut in your eye and with all that sweat he prob cant tell, also he can't see his own face and i don't think rugby players carry vanity mirrors.

[–]ObeselyMorbid 13 points14 points ago

that kid showed some real grit!

[–]Uncles 3 points4 points ago

His shrieks of pain are cringe-worthy.

[–]The-Jerk-Store 5 points6 points ago

Wow, I just gained a lot of respect for Stafford. I had to watch it twice!

[–]Popozuda72 3 points4 points ago

Whatever. Grit and determination and playing with an injury can elevate the rest of the team not hurt them. Many hockey players continue to play with cuts and twists etc. It's easier to rally around toughness than trying to rally without a key player.

[–]angertrain 9 points10 points ago

Hockey is a bit better for it.

They have a penalty for diving, aka, being a pussy trolling for penalties.

[–]HockeyChick13 -1 points0 points ago

Well speaking as a hockey goalie, I know many other players who don't dive by the definition of the rule, but who stay down and try to play it off like they're hurt. Still doesn't persuade the refs at all. Then again, I've had two fingers broken during a game by a slash after the whistle. I finished the game, but there was no penalty for the other girl. Hockey refs can be pretty fucking horrible at times.

[–]PixelatumGenitallus 154 points155 points ago

That's why you should never go in dry, even for a wet willy.

[–]SerDelta 212 points213 points ago

[–]dionvc 13 points14 points ago

Damn nice and long gif.

[–]Panther779 11 points12 points ago

What movie is the sniper bit from?

[–]tarasconus 22 points23 points ago

looks like Shooter

[–]Son_of_the_Morning 18 points19 points ago

Mothafuckin Bobby Lee Swagger

[–]ProKaleidoscoper 6 points7 points ago

They killed my dog? I'll just kill their government!

[–]letmebreakitdown 32 points33 points ago

Mark Wahlberg is "The Soccer Sniper"

The Army trained him to shoot... but when his wife was kicked to death his goal was to settle the score.

EDIT: The movie would be called "Striker." His name is Lance Striker and what? coincidentally that's a position in soccer. Or "Penalty Shot"

Tagline: He shoots... He kills.

[–]MrPeachy 3 points4 points ago

This is the funniest gif ever made.

[–]awesomechemist 121 points122 points ago

By this point, don't the players know that they are constantly on camera, and that this makes them look really silly?

[–]workinglol 78 points79 points ago

Winning the game is more important than not looking silly. Sacrificing your dignity for a chance at a penalty kick is pretty ballsy. Not something I could do.

[–]awesomechemist 49 points50 points ago

Do they not check footage before making those kinds of calls? Maybe I'm too spoiled by American Football; a 10-second play... followed by 3 minutes of analyzing the play.

[–]scamps1 48 points49 points ago

No tech in football at all at the moment. Only comm links between the ref, linesman and 4th official. Unless the ref or assistants see something, play goes on.

It would be against the nature of the game to take a break to get a ruling.

[–]fezzuk 43 points44 points ago

it would be nice to have some sort of post game punishment for the players for this kind of abuse though. ok we can't stop the game every time some one trips over but post game cards/heaftypersonalfines should be issued.

[–]emptythecache 17 points18 points ago

Players have received fines for doing things like this.

[–]fezzuk 22 points23 points ago

then it need to be harsher and has be a lot more regular. make them think twice before doing this, if your getting paid that much cash you have a responsibility to the game.

[–]debman3 3 points4 points ago

Huge polemic topic

It would be against the nature of the game to take a break to get a ruling

Not at all.

Official reason : they want small games and big games to have the same rules. So if smaller games can't afford the cameras, big ones won't do it as well.

Unofficial : too expensive.

[–]scamps1 0 points1 point ago

In general, there aren't long stoppages in football unless there's injury.

Also, if there's a possible foul, but the ball doesn't go out of play - do you stop the match to analyse the possible foul. If its not a foul, how do you restart? If you just give a freekick, or a dropball, then any chance there was for a counter-attack has been nullified.

Because it is a free-flowing game, there's little chance to review. Unlike American Football, or any other stop-start game, the ball isn't necessarily dead at the end of the incident.

[–]arrjayjee 1 point2 points ago

Cynical/Conspiracy nut: Harder for FIFA to rig matches with video refereeing.

They could at least have a deal similar to Tennis where each team is given a set number of "challenges". They call a challenge if they believe the ruling was wrong and it goes to the video ref who confirms either way.

[–]SeviMan 4 points5 points ago

This is something that really bothers me about soccer. If we have an abundance of technology to monitor the player's actions, then why the hell don't we use it? The referee is jury and judge, and whatever he says goes, even if the call is completely inane.

It's even more ridiculous when you realize the entire audience saw that the foul wasn't a foul, or that a player did indeed handle the ball, but the call remains.

[–]scamps1 5 points6 points ago

See my reply to the other guy, but basically because its free flowing in nature, there's no time to review. If you stop the game to review, then the situation changes - negates a chance to counter attack or something.

Rugby uses technology, but the only time it is used is whether a try is scored or not. Both outcomes end up with a dead-ball scenario; the same can't be said for football.

[–]firebearhero 10 points11 points ago

we just dont want football to end up like american handegg, where a game lasts 2 hours but only 10 minutes of those the game is actually played, the rest is breaks, intermissions, half-game pause, etc etc.

[–]shoryukenist 2 points3 points ago

I really doubt pausing to hand out a red card for blatant flopping is really going to slow the game down. I'd assume there would be much less flopping. You don't have to reply scoring plays etc.

[–]workinglol 3 points4 points ago

They don't even have goal line cameras, so if the ball is in and bounces out, and the ref doesn't catch it, it's not a goal.

Make no mistake, every football fan has gripes with the sport, but that's true for all sports.

[–]asscobra 0 points1 point ago

They have to fill the time with something. Football would be incredibly boring if they didnt.

[–]_it_was_me 4 points5 points ago

Sacrificing your dignity is inherently un-ballsy. Maintaining your dignity when common practice may call for otherwise is "ballsy".

[–]Mr_Cutestory 2 points3 points ago

It's not about dignity, though. Sport is about sportsmanship and fair play, and flailing around like an idiot trying to draw a foul is pretty much cheating and hurts the integrity of sport. I'd rather lose a game than to win because of a PK I didn't earn. It's not ballsy or honorable or anything of the sort. Unfortunately, this sort of behavior is so common in soccer that I have no interest for an otherwise solid sport.

[–]Akushi 107 points108 points ago

Come on man. Walk it off.

[–]BrainSturgeon 63 points64 points ago

Did you see that ludicrous display last night?

[–]dr_chinstrap 32 points33 points ago

What was Wenger thinkin bringing Walcott on that early.

[–]SableEye 34 points35 points ago

Thing about Arsenal, they always try to walk it in.

[–]martiiin 13 points14 points ago

What a match!

[–]Kamon2011 92 points93 points ago

Biggest reason I can't watch Soccer

[–]Not_A_Hipster_ 95 points96 points ago

A good juxtaposition is hockey. A few days ago a guy broke his nose and had to get 30 stitches and didn't leave his shift.

EDIT: For the people who keep telling me I'm wrong. Read that: 30 stiches across the bridge of his nose. Finished out his shift.

[–]gmoney1393 56 points57 points ago

Matt Duchene of Colorado and it was 19 not 30.

[–]Not_A_Hipster_ 92 points93 points ago

That makes it much less impressive. Thanks for hunting that info down and correcting me.

[–]FEAR-N-LOATHING 20 points21 points ago

still pretty brutal Doughty has a rocket of a slap shot, caught it right on the chin but he went to the bench, got stitched up and didn't miss a shift

[–]gmoney1393 1 point2 points ago

Still. A puck to the face is a tough one to get back. The only reason I know is because I have him in 2 fantasy leagues.

[–]casonthemason 4 points5 points ago

Oh only 19? Well that's hardly a scratch then

[–]frotc914 5 points6 points ago

Also virtually every other player in the NHL will be gunning for you if you take dives.

[–]Nakken 9 points10 points ago

With that attitude you shouldn't.

[–]WHAMMBO 18 points19 points ago

[–]chencho1 5 points6 points ago

She poked her in the fucking HEAD man! She could have DIED!

[–]ghost20 38 points39 points ago

beep AHHHHH DID YOU SEE THAT!? HE STRUCK ME, HE STRUCK ME!

[–]ThinGestures 15 points16 points ago

Reminds me of that guy in the world cup who got bumped into by Kaka's (Brazil)shoulder and the guy held his eye and went down for at least 5 minutes.

Kaka was suspended for a few games. I need to find that story..

[–]dr_chinstrap 6 points7 points ago

I was at that game and was only informed when I got home that Kaka had been sent off.

[–]SouthernSmoke 34 points35 points ago

Hey noww, maybe he had an inner ear infection lol

[–]Skillet_Lasagna 26 points27 points ago

Or acid on his finger.

[–]scamps1 5 points6 points ago

He'd have trouble standing up if that was the case

[–]InfiniteLiveZ 24 points25 points ago

He clearly had trouble standing up.

[–]Tebasaki 6 points7 points ago

Earwigs are truly that painful when they lay eggs in your brain.

[–]GeorgeWalkerKush 16 points17 points ago

Let the anti-soccer circlejerk begin.

[–]BlazeUp 13 points14 points ago

This is why I can't watch soccer because every game someone dives. Source needed.

American Football is much better because I like 15 minutes of actual playing time and keeping up with all the new commercials.

I always comment on posts about soccer about how much I hate it, because I'm so edgy.

[–]that_dude4 7 points8 points ago

When people use to fake injuries after we lightly touched each other, i would always wait for the next few plays and be sure they had a good reason to go down.

[–]Brisco_County_III 7 points8 points ago

"WHY DID YOU FLICK THAT BEE WHEN IT WAS ON MY EAR WHAT THE FUCK"

It's the only logical explanation, he couldn't possibly be acting that hard. Who would do such a thing?

[–]ChristofferOslo 26 points27 points ago

To everyone asking why people even watch soccer and saying it's a shitty sport, the positives outweigh the negatives bigtime. This, this, this, this, this, this, this, this and this is why we watch soccer. It's actually a beautiful sport when you get into it. Of course there are some poor sportmanship at times but it is actually quite rare to see severe cases of it, you can't really condemn the worlds biggest sport by only watching some gifs on the internet.

Edit: Added more gifs.

[–]DoctorDrell 3 points4 points ago

That last gif with Gibson is the smoothest gif I've ever seen. Incredible skill too.

[–]TBHBP 4 points5 points ago

Well said. We take the embellishment that happens now and again, just like how NFL fans take the constant adverts. We love our sports. We 'get' our sports. It takes time for a new fan, but if you watch game after game, learn the players and the story lines, there will come a time it all clicks and you'll GET the sport.

[–]shrididdy 4 points5 points ago

I love the sport and agree with you on the positives outweighing the negatives. But that doesn't mean this doesn't exist and we shouldn't do something about it. Every time this comes up for every overreaction denouncing the sport there is some commenter who blindly defends its virtues and/or cites the far less frequent occurences in other sports. Take the other comment to this post, the commenter's counterargument is that it is the most popular sport, as if that means that it doesn't have flaws.

[–]gayunicornrainbows 5 points6 points ago

Most Americans exposure to watching pro soccer is limited to:

  1. One or two late round World Cup games every 4 years, which generally feature Italy, Argentina, Spain, Portugal...etc. Its a divefest with the Latin players there.

  2. Gifs and videos like this on the internet of some random game 20 years ago with a really really lame attempt to fool the ref.

Its a bad way to get introduced to a sport as a spectator. No wonder they develop such a negative view of the sport.

[–]moviefreak11 1 point2 points ago

I like how he ends up touching his other ear

[–]t1msen 1 point2 points ago

How dumb can you be? I mean, they must know there are cameras everywhere ...

[–]zoahporre 2 points3 points ago

refs cant see cameras though.....IMO they should be suspended for the rest of the season if they do this.

[–]zakattack85 3 points4 points ago

I didn't know Pau Gasol played soccer.

[–]bitparity 3 points4 points ago

Meanwhile, Nigel de Jong gets away with a kung fu flying kick to the chest during the 2010 World Cup.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08XU4Tjuids

[–]bigred10 13 points14 points ago

Shit like this ruins professional soccer :(

[–]BrutalJones 18 points19 points ago

You have shit like this, and then you have hockey.

[–]shepppard 14 points15 points ago

As much as I'm not a fan of hockey I have to say those guys are pretty tough. That and Rugby... and lacrosse... and field hockey... and Australian football... I think I just lost a lot of respect for soccer players

[–]callthewambulance 3 points4 points ago

Aussie rules football strike me as absolutely batshit insane, which is why it's so much fun to watch. And I'm an American hockey fan

[–]czgheib 0 points1 point ago

He really "felt" that.

[–]Betorange 1 point2 points ago

Alright, in all seriousness, is this a joke in the soccer world or is it really that beneficially to fake an injury?

[–]tatskaari 2 points3 points ago

They look like they were just messing around to be honest. They were probably friends judging by the fact that the one guy flicked the others ear in the first place.

[–]ngatachance 2 points3 points ago

My idea to stop flopping in football? If play has to be stopped for you, you have to sit out at least 10 minutes. So then flopping could drastically hurt the team if you were a good player. Treat it like it's a real injury and then you'd have the opposite of flopping (if a guy gets kinda hurt, he'd play through it in order to not have to sit out for 10 minutes)

[–]TheAmazingLeech 17 points18 points ago

This is why I don't watch soccer, the shittiest sportsman ship in any sport, ever.

[–]drgk 12 points13 points ago

I read a post the other day explaining how the rules of association football practically encourage this type of behavior vs. how american football strongly encourages players to "man up" when injured. It was a pretty convincing argument, maybe somebody has the link.

[–]Iwannabewitty 2 points3 points ago

He really screwed up his equilibrium.

[–]Alix_Chris 3 points4 points ago

FIFA should make a rule that If a player goes down injured like that, they should do what they do in the horse racing when a horse goes down injured, just shoot the poor guy, put him out of his misery.

[–]smalleyes 4 points5 points ago

An even better actor: Kobe Bryant.

[–]Sight27 1 point2 points ago

ahhhhhhh ! wtf man ? aahhhhhh help me !

[–]schmiegola_mcbain 2 points3 points ago

Franks and beans!

[–]Sleep_Debt 2 points3 points ago

hahahaha best comment on here

[–]roxshot -4 points-3 points ago

How can people watch soccer/football and not want to stab people like this with a dull butter knife? I tried to get into watching soccer once but shit like this was too much to bear.

[–]workinglol 48 points49 points ago

Because it hardly ever happens.

[–]scamps1 19 points20 points ago

People judge the entire sport by cherry picking these gifs. This looks so old, 90s? 80s?

[–]CompletelyGone 13 points14 points ago

In their defense, there are a hell of a lot of these type of gifs.

[–]thanksbastards 18 points19 points ago

There's a hell of a lot of soccer matches televised for this shit to happen. Think about if you took the NFL, put it in every country on earth, and then also added two/three lower level leagues below them, don't you think you'd have a shitload of material to work with too?

[–]CompletelyGone 2 points3 points ago

Yeah I would.

[–]CaptainFantastic8 8 points9 points ago

Because there is HUNDREDS of leagues spread out across the world... And how many Football Leagues... 3? Baseball ... a handfull? Basketball? Not even comparable to Soccer.

[–]dickpound 5 points6 points ago

Its a tiny insignificant minority of everything that happens in the sport. There are literally more soccer leagues than all american sports combined. The sheer amount of games dwarfs every other sport.

[–]brokkoli 3 points4 points ago

It is the most popular and widely played sport in the world though.

[–]RaptoLobster 15 points16 points ago

Honestly it rarely happens. You'd have to go down to watch the crap leagues to see it often.

[–]Crallac 12 points13 points ago

Nope, I watch League 2 football with Morecambe and it rarely happens here as well.

[–]RaptoLobster 6 points7 points ago

Well there you have it.

[–]talljustin2 8 points9 points ago

Basketball is even worse.

[–]frotc914 5 points6 points ago

Agreed. Even without the dives, drawing fouls is a legitimate strategy to win. I get why teams do it - I think the whole thing is ridiculous.

[–]dickpound 3 points4 points ago

Because this is rare, gifs like this are cherrypicked moments from literally tens of thousands of games across dozens of league from multiple countries.

[–]Symploce 2 points3 points ago

In his defense, it was actually the sniper bullet that grazed him

[–]Allitigator 3 points4 points ago

Oh, soccer. Sometimes you're that. Other times, you're this.

[–]patchterran 4 points5 points ago

Spoiler: the kid laying on the ground was flopping too. AFAIK it was the last 15 minutes of the game, the guy (ballboy for the other team) was laying on the ball blocking the player from continuing the game, then flopped around as the player kicked the ball from under him to delay the game more.

So yeah, it's just flopping all around.

[–]ultimba 0 points1 point ago

If it's really cold out, that shit hurts!

[–]cmgerber 0 points1 point ago

The reaction was ridiculous but at the same time what the hell was he flicking him in the ear for?

[–]keelanmctavish -1 points0 points ago

There must have been some flesh eating parasites on that his finger.

[–]lyrelad93 0 points1 point ago

He knew he wasn't bleeding. Why did he keep looking at his hand. What a scum bucket.