Diving, flopping and faking injury: What are sports doing about it?

Changes and amendments to the laws in Rugby Union are a common occurrence. Whether it be for injury prevention, preventing negative behaviours or to improve the flow of the games for players and spectators.

In July 2016, a number of minor law amendments will be implemented in the northern hemisphere by the World Rugby Council, having already been implemented in the southern hemisphere at the start of 2016. One of these amendments is that play acting or "simulation" is to be specifically outlawed in the game. Any player who dives or feigns injury in an effort to influence the match officials will be liable for sanction and if witnessed doing so should be put in the sin bin immediately. At present the current law, named 10.4 (L) Acts Contrary to Good Sportsmanship, states that a player must not do anything that is against the spirit of good sportsmanship in the playing enclosure. This had been used to try and prevent play acting. However, the new amendment has been put in place in an attempt to put a stop to a practice that has been creeping into the game in recent years.

One of the most known cases of play acting in rugby is known as bloodgate. During the Heineken Cup quarter-final between Harlequins and Leinster, Harlequins player Tom Williams bit a fake blood capsule allowing for an injury substitution. This substitution put Harlequins best kicker back on the pitch with the knowledge that one more successful kick would win them the game. Unfortunately for Harlequins they did not win the game and the truth was discovered by an investigation started by the European Rugby Cup. Harlequins director of rugby Dean Richards was banned for 3 years, physiotherapist Steph Brennan was banned for 2 years, Tom Williams had his ban reduced from 12 months to four months and Harlequins Rugby Club were fined £237,000.

With these amendments being made to the rugby union law book, TSZ wanted to find out what other sports are doing to prevent this unsporting behaviour from taking over their sport.

American Football

In recent years more and more National Football League (NFL) players have been seen to be getting injured at crucial moments of a game, with many people stating they are faking it. In 2011 the NFL decided enough was enough and a reminder was distributed to all 32 team. This stated that the NFL Competition Committee condemn feigning injuries, to obtain a timeout without penalty. It highlighted rule 4, section 5, article 4 which states that disciplinary action can include fines for coaches, players, and clubs, suspensions or forfeiture of draft choices and that coaches are urged to cooperate in discouraging this practice. Most people thought these were empty threats from the NFL until a year later when the NFL VP of Football Operations Ray Anderson announced that Emmanuel Sanders of the Pittsburgh Steelers was to be fined $35,000 and the club to be fined $15,000 for feigning an injury which saved the Steelers from having to use a timeout or take a delay-of-game penalty.

Football/Soccer

In football/soccer leagues around the word, similar to the current law in rugby union, feigning injury or pretending to have been fouled (simulation) comes under unsporting behaviour. FIFA states there are different circumstances when a player must be cautioned for unsporting behaviour and one of these is if a player attempts to deceive the referee by feigning injury or pretending to have been fouled (simulation). This can be punishable by a yellow card. However, as I’m sure we are all aware yellow cards for diving are few and far between so this does not discourage ‘diving’ or ‘play acting’ in football.

Leagues such as the Major League Soccer, have less patience for play acting and are using post-match video analysis to add punishments on cheating players to increase the cost associated with diving. The MLS’s disciplinary committee must be unanimous and the simulation must be obvious for fines and match bans to be put in place.

The FA have started to follow suit and put in place a three-match ban if a player attempts to have an opponent dismissed for violent conduct by faking injury or exaggeration. However, the player who faked the injury can only be reviewed and disciplined if the player who is sent off appeals their red card. The first player to be charged for ‘allegedly exaggerating or feigning an injury, which directly led to an opponent being dismissed,’ was Welling striker Sahr Kabba, who in September 2015 was placed under a three-match ban.

Although this is a step in the right direction if governing bodies want to eradicate the practice of diving in football, which has become such a big part of the game, TSZ believes they should take a leaf out the MLS’s book and add punishments to all players seen to be cheating by using post-match video analysis.

Rugby League

In rugby league, feigning an injury comes under misconduct laws as it does in many other sports. It is covered by the law stating that if a player behaves in any way contrary to the true spirit of the game they will be guilty of misconduct. Although, TSZ has not found reports of any rugby league player being cautioned for misconduct regarding feigning an injury, Benji Marshall, from the St George Illawarra Dragons in the National Rugby League, has admitted players do take advantage of a flaw in the system.

According to Marshall, coaches tell players to stay down after a tackle, specifically if you are hit on the head as it will be watched in slow-motion replays immediately after the incident. This is because the rule is if you make contact with the head you are more than likely going to get a penalty.

Basketball

In basketball, feigning an injury or play acting is known as flopping. Flopping is defined as any physical act that appears to have been intended to cause the referees to call a foul on another player. Any unsportsmanlike acts such as a deliberately thrown elbow or any attempted physical act with no contact involved are known as a technical foul. If a technical foul is awarded, the opposing team is awarded on free-throw.

The NBA believed that the referee awarding a technical foul on the grounds of flopping was not discouraging players enough and brought in an anti-flopping rule at the beginning of the 2012-13 season. This anti-flopping rule had financial implications if players were caught flopping on a number of occasions. Although 14 players received warnings for a single violation and 5 players received a $5,000 fine for multiple violations in the 2012-13 season, the NBA changed the rule again and further increased the fines received during the 2013 playoff. This adaptation of the anti-flopping rule stated a player would receive a $5,000 fine for violation 1, a $10,000 fine for violation 2, a $15,000 fine for violation 3 and a $30,000 fine for violation 4. Further, if a player violated the anti-flopping rule five times or more, the player would be subject to discipline that is reasonable under the circumstances, including an increased fine and/or suspension. In May 2015 Glen Davis (LAC) and Corey Brewer (HOU) were fined $5,000 for their ‘flops’ and Stephen Curry (GSW) was fined $5,000 during the fourth quarter of the conference finals as upon further review the league decided that his play was unworthy of their standards.

TSZ believes the NBA is setting a great example for all sports out there, implementing financial and suspension deterrents for flopping, however, fans are less impressed, with a large number stating that it is an unfair rule as it is impossible to determine whether a player has committed a flop due to the fast and unbalanced nature of the game.

Some sports such as Ice Hockey, Boxing and Lacrosse have immediate repercussions for faking injury but no long term or financial deterrents.

Boxing

In boxing, faking/simulating is governed under types of fouls number 6.2.21. If a boxer acts against the rules of boxing, boxes in any unsportsmanlike manner or commits a foul, the referee can caution, warn or disqualify the offending boxer. If warned, the supervisor will record the warning in the scoring system and each warning will reduce the total score of the offending boxer by one point per judge. The third warning in a bout will automatically disqualify the boxer.

Ice Hockey

International Ice Hockey Federation rules state that a player who blatantly embellished a fall or fakes and injury in the attempt to draw a penalty by their actions is breaking rule number 138 and will be assessed for a minor penalty. This means they will have to sit in the penalty box for two minutes unless the opposing team score against the offending players team, then they can re-join their team before the two minutes is up.

However, for the purposes of the penalty shoot-out procedure further action can be taken. If, in the opinion of the referee, the skater is faking an injury to not take their penalty then subsequent punishment may be meted out by the proper authorities against the skater and/or coach.

Lacrosse

The National Collegiate Athletics Association state that in men’s lacrosse if someone takes a dive or feigns a slash to the head or body in order to deceive the official and draw a penalty they are not conforming to procedure under section 6 and will receive a penalty. This could include a 30-second suspension of the offending player from the game (if the team fouled had possession of the ball at the time the foul was committed) or simply the awarding of the ball to the team fouled (if the team fouled did not have possession of the ball at the time the foul was committed.

Rugby union and the NBA have started to do what TSZ believes is necessary to eradicate this kind of behaviour and TSZ thinks that other sports such as football and American football need to follow in their footsteps. Governing bodies must not only place penalties and yellow cards against the players, especially repeat offenders, but further punish them for this unsporting behaviour with financial or suspension deterrents.