Great dives of the modern age
Posted by DavidM in Football blogs | 2 April 2006
There is a lot of debate about diving at the moment, and rightly so. But let's not forget that diving has brought moments of humour to our game, and if it's eradicated, we'd have to find something else to moan about.
So here are three diving-related pieces to make you smile rather than throw your meat pie onto the pitch.
In November 2003 the Observer listed the top 10 best-ever dives. The winner makes Drogba seem positively amateur. It's Brazil vs Chile in a World Cup qualifier on 3 September 1989:
Overrun and intimidated, Chile needed a way out. The plan: force an abandonment and a replay in a neutral venue. The execution: on 69 minutes, goalkeeper Rojas threw himself into the smoke of a firecracker, which had landed nearby, pulled a razor blade from his glove and stabbed himself in the head. The result: lots of blood, a mass brawl, a walkout, an abandonment - but, after video evidence, no replay. Instead, Brazil were awarded the game, Chile were out of one World Cup and excluded from the next, Rojas was banned for life and the woman who threw the firecracker was signed up by Playboy Brazil. In May 2001, Fifa lifted the ban. 'At 43, I'm unlikely to play again,' said Rojas, now coach at São Paulo, 'but at least this pardon will cleanse my soul.'
DangerHere have mocked-up the first truly realistic football game, giving you a choice of up to 50 different diving situations. Apparently based on a Mourinho training video.
Finally, when so many people are being criticised for diving in order to get a player sent off, here's an example of a player diving to avoid someone beinfg sent off - himself! Steven Taylor did this spectacular effort for Newcastle against Aston Villa in 2005 (near the bottom of the page).
Cheers
David