Buzzin Football

Like many football fans, Gillette Fusion feel it is time to show the red card to footballers who are bringing the game into disrepute on the pitch by diving, swearing and moaning at referees and showing dissent.

It is a sad reflection on the game today that these things have become widespread and there is nothing in football more cringe worthy than a player simulating injury after the slightest of touches as his team mates surround the referee brandishing imaginary cards.

In a joint study with Opta, Gillette found that 90% of players who hit the deck like a sack of potatoes are soon up on their feet and able to continue with the match.

Using a selection of ten Premier league games, along with the World Cup final, the findings from Gillette make interesting reading;

• Over 25% of footballers who fall to the ground following a challenge are theatrically diving, averaging over 8 dives per game.
• Only one in ten players (9.9%) who remained on the ground claiming injury were later substituted as a result.
• In the World Cup Final, over 5 minutes was wasted on the 15 occasions players stayed down with injury in normal time, yet all were able to continue.
• Players spent an average of 52 seconds per match whingeing at the referee, with the World Cup Final witnessing 1 minute and 31 seconds of this behaviour.
• 168 yellow cards were shown last season in the Premier League for dissent, simulation and swearing, with Birmingham City the worst culprits with 16, followed by Portsmouth (14), Aston Villa (12) and Hull (11).
• Referee Alan Bennett clamps down most on theatrics, dishing out by far the most yellow cards (24) for these offences.
• Birmingham City defender Roger Johnson topped the individual list with four yellow cards, followed by a host of players with three including Ashley Young, Emmanuel Eboue and Ricardo Fuller.

As the stats show this is not merely a Premier League problem, there were plenty of examples during the World Cup in South Africa and certainly in the final itself, as the figures above make clear.

Speaking about the report, Nathan Homer, Gillette Brand Manager said, “While Gillette tackles sensitivity on guys faces with the Fusion razor, we thought we could take that approach onto the football pitch too.  We have a longstanding involvement in football. Many people watch Jeff and the team on Gillette Soccer Saturday berating footballers for diving and play acting. This research is part of our campaign to give sensitivity on the pitch the red card.”

Along with everything mentioned above, I would personally like to call an end to the constant jostling and shirt pulling at corners and free kicks, it makes me wonder how we allowed these things to creep into the game in the first place.