Agreed but it doesn't even need to be as extreme as your example to be rubbish. Let's just say the Snodgrass example loses you 3 points through cheating, and then he gets banned for the next two games. If those games are against relegation rivals then they could actually benefit further from your misfortune. Bonkers

I don't get what the fear is of an 'instant' decision? The FA are so caught up in sitting back, watching, waiting and discussing, then finally coming up with a smack on the wrist.

There's a suspected dive. Ref stops play (which 7/10 times happens at that stage, ball out of play etc) and refers it to a video ref who is sitting watching the replays that are supplied in 57 different angle by SKY/BT/BBC. Decision made, radioed back, ref either awards a pen/free kick, cards the dive, sends of the player or puts them in a bin liner or whatever the penalty for such an offence is agreed to be. It's hardly difficult is it?

Clinton is Clinton. I have known him for a long time, I know his mother... Simon Jordan

If play stops naturally, then fine. But otherwise there's no need to stop play - there could be a video ref who simply watching the TV feed - all angles available on multiple screens - and so should be able to make a quick decision and tell the ref in the middle to pull up play.

The other important component here is communication. Someone needs to be able to announce to the crowd why the game is stopping and what the ruling is. TBH, that would solve a lot of issues between fans and refs. They're mic'd up with an open feed in rugby, why not in football?

We don't do possession; we do defense and attack. Everything else is just wa**ing with a football.

I totally agree with Sam's view that action must be taken during the match even if only when a penalty is awarded, or a 'dive' witnessed: was it actually a dive? if it was (and sin bins not accepted yet) then book the player and give a free kick to the defending team and not a pen. Doesn't hold up play, play is already stopped and move on. If not a dive take the penalty.
If video evidence unclear then award a free kick to the defending team but take no further action.
This would allow refs to award penalties more easily knowing the decision would be checked there and then.

If this is successful then add video replays slowly and surely to other phases of play.

Sounds relatively straight forward to me and would not slow the game up much.

Edited by rollercoaster (19 May 2017 8.45pm)

Then the mic would help clean that up. The only reason the players behave the way they do is because they get away with it.

We don't do possession; we do defense and attack. Everything else is just wa**ing with a football.

All PL matches are live matches. They are all filmed by PLP(premier league productions)which is operated by IMG productions for the PL.I believe they all have roughly the same camera setup of between 24 - 35 cameras depending on the stadium size.Not all PL games are live in the uk because of the 2:45pm and 5:15pm Saturday kick off ban imposed by the FA, but the rest of the world has access to every PL game live.