Dyche pleased with FA stance on diving

Clarets boss Sean Dyche has long been an advocate of retrospective action for diving, and is pleased to see the FA introduce it from next season.
Sean DycheSean Dyche
Sean Dyche

Players who dive or feign injury could face two-match suspensions, with the offence of “successful deception of a match official” based on a law already used in Scotland.

The rule change was and approved at the FA’s annual general meeting at Wembley, and incidents will be reviewed by a panel comprising a former manager, an former player and former referee, who will watch the footage independently.

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While Crystal Palace boss Sam Allardyce said the rule change was "rubbish", Dyche is of a different mind: "It’s something I’ve felt strongly about for a while. For the good of the game it has got to go.

"The detail in it will be more interesting to me.

"From what I’ve picked up I think it’s implying it will be key moments, but I’m talking about cheating across the board.

"People diving in front of the dugout as much as in the box. It’s all got to go."

Dyche believes the Premier League product is damaged by simulation, cheating - call it what you will - and added: "If they’re going to carry this through it’s good for the game. Not just for the referees and because there is a lot at stake.

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"Also for the moral value of the game. My son plays football, there’s billions of children watching the Premier League around the world.

"You wouldn’t applaud your son for cheating in a maths test, yet you often applaud them for diving around on a Saturday or a Sunday In the park to win a football match.

"If they clean sweep it for any cheating, managers don’t want to lose their players, so it will be eradicated quickly.

"It’s a positive step forward, the game is in fantastic shape, but that can be tidied up to make it even more of a world wide product.

"If it happens at this club it happens, we’re not whiter than white. I just don’t expect it to happen from our players.

"If it does we have a quick chat and decide it’s not going to go on next time."