Leandro Damiao and the Most Blatant Attempts at Cheating in Football

Leandro Damiao made headlines this week thanks to his rather outrageous attempt to deceive the referee in a Brazilian league match.

On Sunday, the Santos star tugged on his own shirt during a free kick in an attempt to win a penalty. The official didn't take the bait, but TV footage has opened the London Olympics top scorer up to widespread ridicule. 

In light of Damiao's indiscretion, here are 10 other players who blatantly tried to con an opponent into trouble... 

Bryan Carrasco (Chile) vs. Ecuador, 2011

Chilean international Bryan Carrasco clearly comes from the same school of outrageous cheating as Leandro Damiao.

During an U20 match with Ecuador in 2011, Carrasco actually grabbed the arm of his opponent and used it to hit himself in the face!

Amazingly, the referee saw fit to award him a free kick, perhaps out of respect for the sheer audacity of the move. 

Dida (Milan) vs Celtic, 2007

Shortly after Milan goalkeeper Dida conceded a 90th minute goal that gifted Celtic a dramatic 2-1 victory in a 2007 Champions League group stage game, a fan encroached the pitch and lightly tapped him on the chest as he ran past.

The Brazilian shot-stopper took this as a cue to drop to the floor in fake agony, even requiring a stretcher to leave the field.

Dida was slapped with a two-match ban for this obvious deception, but UEFA later halved the punishment. 

Gilardino (Milan) vs. Celtic

In the same 2007 match where Dida tried to deceive, Milan striker Gilardino also tried to pull a fast one on the referee.

Racing towards goal in the area, the Italian seemed to realise that he wouldn't reach the ball. So, several strides after clearing any Celtic players, he took a tumble to the floor.

He was booked for his troubles.   

Norbert Meier (Duisburg) vs. Cologne, 2005

During a 2005 match with Duisburg, Cologne's Albert Streit went to the sideline to collect a ball for a throw-in. Once there, he had a verbal exchange with Duisburg coach Norbert Meier and the pair squared up to one another.

Then, the coach appeared to headbutt the player before dropping to the ground playing the victim. The referee sent Streit off. 

A few days later, Meier was sacked by his club and the German FA banned him for three months. 

Emerson Acuna (Atletico Junior) vs. America , 2008

America didn't list an invisible twelfth defender on their team sheet when they faced fellow Colombian side Atletico Junior in 2008, but that is surely the best explanation for this clip.

When Emerson Acuna dramatically flopped in the area with no other players near him, the referee decided to award a penalty which was then converted. 

So kids, remember: Cheaters sometimes prosper. 

Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus) vs. Parma, 2012

In a 2012 Serie A game against Parma, Leonardo Bonucci had a chance to secure three points for Juventus when he was gifted a one-on-one with the goalkeeper from a swift counter-attacking move. 

Perhaps after taking notes from strikers he had faced over the years, the defender decided to flop dramatically in front of the keeper, instead of actually trying to shoot or pass to an open teammate.

Thankfully, the referee saw right through the charade and booked him. 

Morten Gamst Pedersen (Blackburn) vs. Arsenal, 2009

When Blackburn were 2-0 down to Arsenal in the dying minutes of a 2009 Premier League game, Morten Gamst Pedersen decided to see if he could gain an advantage through illicit means.

Chasing the ball in the area with Bacary Sagna a few yards behind him, the Norwegian winger fell to the ground in the hope of winning a penalty.

Note how he looks over his shoulder, presumably to assess the referee's vantage point of Sagna's "tackle." Unsurprisingly, the ref wasn't having any of it. 

Kyle Lafferty (Rangers) vs. Aberdeen, 2009

Aberdeen's Charlie Mulgrew was handed a straight red card in a Scottish league match with Rangers in May 2009 when he was adjudged to have headbutted Rangers' Kyle Lafferty.

However, TV footage confirmed that there had not been any kind of "Glasgow kiss," and Lafferty had deliberately tried to get his opponent sent off.

Rangers fined the cheating player and the SFA handed him an unprecedented two-match ban for his play-acting.  

Roberto Rojas (Chile) vs. Brazil, 1989

One of the most controversial moments of blatant football cheating occurred in a 1990 World Cup qualifier between Chile and Brazil at the Maracana in 1989.

Chile were 1-0 down and knew that a loss would see them fail to progress to the tournament. With around 20 minutes to go, goalkeeper Roberto Rojas fell to the ground clutching his face, which was bleeding as the apparent result of being hit by a flare.

The game was abandoned and Chile pushed for Brazil to be punished.

However, it later transpired that the offending flare didn't actually strike Rojas at all—he had used a razor blade concealed in his glove to stage an elaborate ruse. 

Chile were banned from the 1994 World Cup and Rojas was banned for life. 

Rivaldo (Brazil) vs. Turkey, 2002

The most high-profile attempt at conning the officials occurred at the 2002 World Cup during Brazil's match with Turkey. 

While waiting to take a corner, Rivaldo was hit in the thigh by a ball from defender Hakan Unsal. The Barcelona star instinctively hit the deck clutching his face, earning poor Unsal a red card. 

Evidently, Rivaldo forgot that millions of people all over the world witnessed what he did and he was subsequently fined.

Amazingly, he still tried to defend himself afterwards:

"

Obviously the ball didn't hit me in the face, but I was still the victim. I did not hit anyone in the face! Nobody remembers what that Turk did to me. I'm not a player who fakes fouls.

"

You'll probably never hear a more audacious (and flawed) defence for cheating than that.

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