Theo Walcott Admits to Diving: Should He Have Stayed Quiet?

Arsenal seemed to be heading to a shock 1-0 loss to Championship side Leeds United on Saturday, until a Cesc Fabregas penalty saved Arsenal the embarrassment and earned them a replay at Elland Road. It was substitute Theo Walcott who earned Arsenal the penalty after having his shirt tugged in the box—a good decision and legitimate penalty ultimately.

But the incident that is making news was a penalty shot a couple of minutes earlier that was turned down by the linesman. The player involved with this incident is also Theo Walcott. Walcott seemed to be fouled in the box, but the referee turned down the claims of penalty after the linesman ruled Bendtner to be offside. Arsenal fans initially felt that it was a clear penalty and the referee made a big mistake.

Replays indicated that there was hardly any contact or no contact at all.

Later, Walcott came out and confessed to diving. He apologized to his manager Arsene Wenger and Leeds United manager Simon Grayson for the incident.

In modern day football, acts like cheating have sadly become common. It’s not surprising to see some of the world’s top footballers indulging in this shameful act (namely, Cristiano Ronaldo).

This is not the first time that an Arsenal player has been accused of diving. Last season former and then-Arsenal player Eduardo was accused of diving to win a penalty against Celtic in the Champions League, ultimately found by the UEFA and given a three-match suspension that was later revoked.

But this is one of those rare times when a player has come out in the open and admitted to diving. Walcott owned up to diving, and, for that very act, he deserves some respect.

This is not an article to justify Walcott’s shameful act, but I am of the opinion that Walcott does deserve praise for at least admitting to diving. A question does remain on whether Walcott’s act was a mature act or a naïve one. He is one of the few players to have admitted to diving.

There is no doubt that he displayed a great sense of courage and honesty in owning up to diving, especially in a world in which cheating is ruining the game. Walcott’s act of owning up was an extremely truthful one.

But this raises another more important question: what impact will the act have on referees and their mindset towards Arsenal? Last season, following the Eduardo incident, Arsenal were denied a clear and obvious penalty against Manchester United. There was a wide consensus that the decision was a direct repercussion of the Eduardo incident.

Now it is natural and expected that referees will be more reserved and cautious when awarding Arsenal a penalty. This may result in Arsenal being denied legitimate penalties.

Walcott, in my opinion, showed extreme truthfulness in admitting to diving but should have displayed a bit more maturity and stayed quiet. This noble act of his may have serious repercussions on Arsenal, and one can only hope this is the last time an Arsenal player indulges in this act.

Also, his act of admitting should not take away the seriousness of his offense. FA still imposes retrospective bans on players, and I’m of the opinion that they should impose a ban on Walcott.

As an Arsenal fan, it may be bad to see the talented winger banned. It sends out a strong message that the FA are here to remove any form of cheating in the game and will go a certain way in ensuring this act is not repeated again.

The act once again raises serious questions about integrity in the game and how cheating is sadly becoming a part of the great game. In recent times, you see players diving to win/save matches. It is time for FIFA and UEFA to stand up and take some serious and effective action against this offense.

This is not the first time someone has dived, nor will it be the last. But this is one of the first times that a player has owned up and for that we must salute Walcott.

This article along with others is also available on Sportsbuzz, my blog. Please do check it out.