Exposing A Diver: Didier Zokora

Acclaimed Canadian Playwright and Author Tomson Highway said:

"before the healing can take place, the poison must first be exposed."

And as much as it pains me to have to do this to a member of my favorite club, it must be done.

I have read several commentaries on possible ways to deal with diving. The most recent being that of Harry Redknapp (who has a vested interest in this particular dive) to have video monitors on the touch line for the fourth official to review. While not altogether a bad idea, I think purists will have a hard time accepting this due to the disruption of the flow of the game and the difficulty balancing the power between referee and sideline official to make the decision. I don't think it would go over very well with the fans for there to be an NFL style review to penalty decisions while the theme song to jeopardy plays over the loudspeakers.

The idea I like, is to have the review done after the game. They could suspend or fine the player as heavily as they like. This would be a huge threat given that players most likely to be diving in the box are strikers, usually a valuable commodity when you only play two or one (like a lot of teams are these days). Not only that, but imagine the backlash the player would receive.

The media would be able to garner more attention of the public to the story of the suspension/fine. The opposing fans would taunt players who got caught. And even the home fans would be angered by the loss of a valuable player. The only winner is the game of footsoccer.

On to the flailing...