Where is the sniper?
(Full disclosure: I’m wearing an Orange Netherlands kit while I type this, I’m not Dutch, but I enjoy Eredivisie, Ajax and Robin van Persie)
The Netherlands and Brazil played what should have been one of the best matches thus far in the 2010 World Cup on Friday.
And at times it reached for that level, but too much of it was stained with players diving, complaining and showing imaginary cards after the most mundane of challenges.
The worst of these beautiful game tainters was Bayern Munich midfielder Arjen Robben. He flopped and squirmed and looked like he was shot multiple times when in reality, it looked like he was hardly touched (if at all).
This, sadly, is becoming normal behavior. The problem is – Robben’s antics helped his team.
Even Robinho tired of his antics
The foul that set up the first goal was called after Robben did a gymnastic level flip and dead goldfish flop on the ground after not being touched by the Brazil defender.
The result was Wesley Sneijder’s long-range free kick that bounced in off Felipe Melo’s head for an own goal.
Suddenly, Holland was back in it.
This of course was not the only flop on the day for Robben (and it’s nothing new for a player whose career seems to be defined by his inability to stay on his feet) and it manifested itself later when Melo let his emotions get the best of him and stomped the thespian as he laid on the pitch.
His mom must be proud...
Red card for Melo. Match over.
And Robben gets to celebrate as the Dutch move on with no consequences whatsoever for his actions.
So why not do it again? Why not roll around at the slightest contact? Why not deceive and cheat and play-act your way to the final?
(Sadly, the United States team could learn from this and stop trying to stay on their feet so hard and maintain their integrity. If the U.S. would just learn to fall at certain times, they could have had a much different result in South Africa. But I digress.)
If you’re Arjen Robben, and you just saw your side benefit repeatedly from your play-acting, there is no incentive whatsover to change.
And until FIFA does something real about it, it won’t change.