Referees backed in effort to reduce injury faking

Last updated : 15 August 2006 By Editor

Henry Winter in the Daily Telegraph writes, ‘From Saturday, players will be instructed to play on, even if an opponent is injured, unless the referee whistles. They will all have been informed of the ending of the convention of players kicking out the ball. Few would bet against some early-season confusion as players and manager become familiar with the new approach, but the decision to hand responsibility back to the referee for assessing whether a player is feigning injury is welcome.'

Premier League's spokesman, Dan Johnson said: "Most of the managers saw the benefit of tackling this particular situation. Every time a player has gone down, there's been pressure on the player with the ball from other players, or the crowd, to put the ball out of play immediately. That has a) spoiled the flow of the game, and b) if a player didn't, it was almost like foul play and there could be revenge from other players for not doing so."

Winter adds, ‘Arsene Wenger is due to attend Keith Hackett's talk with the northern managers, at Blackburn Rovers, today.'