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11 Fake Injuries Per Football Match

New research gives significant proof to what many fans might already suspect - fake injuries occur more often than real ones. Much more surprising is how much time is wasted dealing with the divers.

Some players do it more than others, but never the less it’s often more painful to watch the players try to attract attention from the referee than the actual damage done.

Typology of Dives

Here's how to spot a dive

FLOP SYMPTOM	HOW TO SPOT IT	% OF ALL FLOPS
Temporal Contiguity	Too much time between contact and reaction	29%
Archer's Bow	Player bends backward and raises arms to get ref's attention	28%
Ballistic Continuity	Too much reaction for limited amount of contact	25%
Contact Consistency	Player gets hit in one area but says another area is hurt	15%

Source: University of Portsmout

A recent study set out to determine just how fake and real injuries affect football matches. Researchers counted the incidents when referees stopped the game to deal with players apparent injury. On average more than 11 events occurs in each match while less than one injury pr. match meet the researchers criteria for a real injury.

“In the end, I think this study confirmed what most fans already suspected - that soccer players go down with apparent injuries quite often”, said Daryl Rosenbaum, M.D., assistant professor at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

Researchers at University of Portsmouth also dug into the matter and have established four categories in which dives occur. Look at the typologies of dives and keep them in mind next time watching a questionable tackle.

Addtional Time Does Not Add Up

For some reason referees seem to agree that three-four minutes additional time accounts for the time spend dealing with e.g. injuries. However, the study shows, that stopping the game and addressing injuries on average takes seven minutes. Adding only half of that time does in fact mean that football matches effectively lasts about 86.5 minutes.

The referees often can’t tell whether the players are faking or just pretending, and it’s still considered extremely unfair and unsportsmanlike to play on, if an opponent is laying on the grass. But what does it take to get players and managers to realize, that in only one in 11 cases is the injury severe enough to justify a break in the match?

You Said It, Bob

"If it's as obvious as somebody getting pushed in the chest and grabbing his face and lying on the ground, I would rescind the other red card and suspend the player who did it for a good number of games", US coach Bob Bradly told Reuters during the Wold Cup. His statement is in sharp contrast to what David Beckham told New York times in 2009 when he defended Arsenal Eduardo da Silva’s dive against Celtic “it happens every week and Eduardo is not the first person to have done it.”

Drawing by Lazo

There's no question in my mind, that faking injuries is one of the main issues FIFA and referees should address. Like the New York Times notes:

"Soccer does not flourish when diving occurs. On the contrary, when diving is tolerated, accepted and celebrated, soccer’s integrity as a sport comes into question"

- Cesar R. Torres, NY Times

11 fake injuries pr. match is simply way too much. It's hardly justified by claiming that diving is merely a part of the game.