Surely the ref should be perfect. But in fact they aren't. Here's what happens when a player is fouled and doesn't go to ground:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/west-hams-matt-jarvis-hammered-3420556
Note the comments at the bottom of the article from a former referee, essentially saying that a player staying on their feet and getting a penalty is "alien to everything that happens at the moment".
It may not be nice to admit, but with the amount of diving going on from all players in the game nowadays, referees simply don't believe that a player will get fouled and not dive.
It's a story because it wasn't necessary to come to a halt ten yards away from the point of non-impact...
Oh, he jumped in the air from a standing start did he?
Here was me thinking he was running full pace when he jumped. Thanks for correcting me.
So are you saying his fall was intentional because the FA asked players to fall over even when contact isnt made or are you saying that the fall was accidental because he jumped from a running start? Cant be both.
No, I'm saying that the reason he landed ten yards away from where contact would have been made is because he was running.
Yeah - because he's sooooo quick and nimble. He exaggerated the fall to make getting the decision more certain. Again - I'm NOT saying it shouldn't have been a penalty. However, he did make a meal of the dive to the ground.

Thats a failing on the part of refs then.
Telling players to go down if someone slides in for a challenge and misses them is surely going to open a Pandora's Box of diving accusations and player bookings.
Yeah - because he's sooooo quick and nimble. He exaggerated the fall to make getting the decision more certain. Again - I'm NOT saying it shouldn't have been a penalty. However, he did make a meal of the dive to the ground.
Do you know the really sad thing about this that's being missed, as a football fan and a purist, is if somehow Rooney could have stayed on his feet, the ball was still within reach, he could have slotted it in from a tight angle. Bloody hell I miss those days when strikers did that.
No chance of that - the ball was well outside the box and I doubt hew could have hurdled the keeper, stayed on his feet and still reached the ball with enough room to keep it in. He might have tried if it was in the area and only needed a touch to flick it in, but it would have needed him to turn and curl it back in from where it would have ended up.
Amazingly rich that the criticism for diving is coming from Chelski fans and that ABU Collimore, whose memory has clearly slipped regarding Stevie Me and the Sewer Rat.
Pot kettle and black seems to be the order of the day
Amazingly rich that the criticism for diving is coming from Chelski fans and that ABU Collimore, whose memory has clearly slipped regarding Stevie Me and the Sewer Rat.
Pot kettle and black seems to be the order of the day
Not really a criticism, at least not on my part anyway.
Anyone fan who tries to accuse another fans team of diving is a hypocrite.
For me its more putting straight the United fans who claim it wasn't a dive.