Promising young football players all around the world look to the game’s elite for inspiration. But, according to Queen Margaret Academy pupil Brendan McGivern, 15, the behaviour of the professionals leaves a lot to be desired.
WHAT could possibly annoy a true sports fan more than cheating? Cheating and getting away with it is my verdict.
I cannot believe the state of so-called “professional” football these days with some of the Premierships biggest stars getting away with blatant diving or “simulation” each week in the most-watched and supposed best league in the world.
So often the shamefaced stars are draped in accolades for their clubs and countries and praised throughout the world for their achievements, yet we all sit and watch replay after replay of them deliberately diving and feigning injury.
In fact, one of the most iconic footballing moments ever captured on camera involved Argentinian Diego Maradona punching the ball into the net against England in the quarter finals of the 1986 World Cup. Scotland fans even sing a song to celebrate the goal – yet when it comes down to it, the goal involved blatant cheating.
More insulting than watching such moments or seeing Premiership role models conning referees and officials into decisions is watching players in our own country attempting it too. Where have the traditional methods of Scottish football disappeared to?
I play for the CYP national side at boys’ club level (under-16s) and know what a real challenge feels like and relish the opportunity of the crunching 50/50. But most of these professionals nowadays have lost that desire and fight needed to succeed in the Scottish game, and it is these players who opt for the more deceitful tactics of play.
The biggest match our country has, the Old Firm clash, is beamed worldwide for fans to enjoy yet it has featured plenty of ludicrous dives which went unpunished during and after the match. How are young hopefuls like me supposed to develop respect for the officials and the game itself if we see cheats going unpunished week in, week out?
SFA chief executive Gordon Smith has vowed to stamp out this kind of behaviour next season with stricter penalties and higher fines. He plans to use video footage in his fight to rid Scotland of deliberate diving.
Hopefully this will help bring an end to the era of the cheat, but who knows? I’m certainly not convinced, are you?
