The problem with this reasoning is that a yellow card plus a goal won by deception is obviously not the same a yellow card and no penalty/goal. I would have thought it logical that if a player wins a penalty by deception and scores a goal, the punishment must be harsher than if the player had been caught cheating and so not been awarded the penalty.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think Eduardo should be banned but I don’t think that this oft quoted argument stacks up.

Eduardo went down but I think most strikers would in that situation, the keeper shouldn’t have come out at that speed, he knows he either takes the player out or the player loses control of the ball avoiding the contact. I’ve seen alot more blatant dives, if Eduardo had been cleverer he would have slowed himself down or moved towards Borac and contact would certainly have been made.

What this demonstrates is that UEFA panders to a Media small country FA agenda

I have absolutely no problem with Eduardo being banned if UEFA continue to apply the rule all season. And that doesn’t mean just in instances associations complain about, but all of them.

As for what constitutes a dive, I guess it’ll be the same subjective argument as what constitutes violent conduct – I’ve seen very similar instances result in charges brought, and the player getting off scot free. Consistency is very hard to come by.

Fair point on the difference between a successful and failed dive – hadn’t thought about it that way.

The weird thing is – the rule actually refers to attempting to deceive the ref. Does that mean everyone who appeals for a throw in they know isn’t theirs is going to get a ban too?

It strikes me that this is a rule that UEFA will apply when they feel like it, a kind of ‘catch all’ rule used for selected targets.

There is actually a difference between diving and getting away with it and diving and not. If you dive and get booked, your team haven’t gained. However, if you dive and a penalty is given, you have the opportunity to own up to the dive, and by not doing so you’re committing a worse offence than diving.

However, there are arguments against this. By this logic, if a player dives and denies it when they’re booked, if video evidence proves the ref correct the booking should logically be upgraded to a ban. That’s not going to happen.

What about dives outside the penalty area – they’re still dives, no?

But the final, real issue is – what makes a dive? Ronaldo dives, Gerrard dives, Babel dives. But not one of them was charged last season, and we all know that the latter dived in a UEFA governed game. However, someone falling over does not make a dive. Someone running at speed and falling due to marginal, legal, contact does not mean it’s a dive. Eduardo dived. But if TV replays show a slight touch by the goalie (and its inconclusive), perhaps that was a factor. There is a line, and there are very few incorrect penalties given when nobody ever touched the fouled player. Can UEFA be 100% sure of a dive, or just 99.9% sure. Is that enough?

And if you’re talking about the way players go down, rather than whether or not there’s been contact, that opens another can of worms. If a player goes down holding there face after being hit by a stray arm in the chest, it’s no different – they’re just trying to get someone sent off instead of winning a penalty. Actually, that’s worse. But we never see any action taken on that, even we see it all the time.

And Palace had a man booked this weekend for simulation when he was clearly fouled. Does the ref get a two match ban for this?

Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s right that Eduardo has been charged. It’ll be interesting to see the result, btu I think he’ll he found guilty. But what were UEFA doing all of last season when this rule was in place and they weren’t applying it? If it’s not clear enough, something needs to be done about clarifying these rules… although that might just clarify what is an acceptable dive.