Dive or No Dive? Vote on Januzaj, Javier Hernandez and More
The issue of diving in football isn't going away any time soon, yet referees have to make split-second decisions on the issue of simulation in games, decisions which could very well affect the outcomes of those games.
Each week, we'll be taking a look at some of the more high-profile incidents around the game, where you can vote on whether the player involved should have been awarded a foul, should have been carded for diving—or whether it's just too close to tell.
First up this week is a double-header from Manchester United, who fell in a 1-0 loss to Newcastle.
Chicharito Hernandez appeared to fall to the ground under a challenge from Magpies defender Fabricio Coloccini, with the referee, Andre Marriner, opting to neither award a penalty nor book the Mexican forward for an attempted dive.
What's your view—penalty, yellow card, or the ref got it right?
Later in the same match, United's young attacking midfielder Adnan Januzaj skipped past a challenge from Hatem Ben Arfa—that in itself is quite the rarity—before collapsing to ground to attempt to win a free kick.
United were chasing the game at this point and Januzaj was one of the few players who looked capable of making anything happen for the home side.
North of the border, Celtic battered Motherwell by a 5-0 scoreline away from home, yet it could have been even higher had Teemu Pukki been awarded a penalty instead of a yellow card in the second half.
The incident took place seemingly under the nose of the referee, who had a clear line of sight, but did he make the right decision? The Finnish forward seemed to be injured in the process, though the ref was unmoved by his actions.
Elsewhere, Chelsea's Michael Essien was recently booked for diving against Southampton in the Blues' 3-1 win. Having been at fault for the goal Chelsea conceded and then substituted later in the same game, it wasn't the most memorable of matches for the former Lyon man.
Finally, Ilya Maksimov suffered the same fate in trying to win a penalty for Russian Premier League's bottom side Anzhi Makhachkala—before also winning a late penalty... which he then missed.
That game finished 0-0.
Leave your comments below on whether all the involved players should have seen cards or decisions go their way, along with any other instances of "dive or no dive?" that you might have caught this week.
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