bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Reuters

As far as referee Alberto Undiano is concerned, diving by players is comparable to doping because it is becoming more sophisticated and difficult to detect.
Referees in turn spend hours studying teams, arming themselves with information on which players are likely to dive and make life difficult, said Undiano.
The Spaniard, who will be officiating in the Champions League this season, said detecting simulation was one of the biggest challenges facing match officials.
The 39-year-old said that, until recently, it was relatively obvious when a player had dived.
"Simulation used to be like a dive into a swimming pool but today there are situations where the player practises how to provoke contact," he said during at Uefa headquarters.

	On the television you see it well but when you are running it’s more difficult

	ALBERTO UNDIANO, REFEREE
"You see the contact but it's not always simple to see who provoked this contact. The simulation is increasingly hidden, like doping.
"There are products which mask doping and in simulation the same happens, there are ways of making simulation difficult to detect for the referee and it's one of the most difficult things we have to do.
"On the television you see it perfectly well but when you are running it's more difficult."
But referees are starting to fight back.
"In the same way teams have information to prepare for the game, the referee has to try and be ready and have all the information he can get about the teams who are playing," he said.
"We read about the players, what systems they use, if there were problems in a previous match, if there were any problems between particular players and which players can create problems, and all of this can help.
"On the other hand it's important not to say: 'The number seven on this team dives all the time and I'm not going to give any free kicks in his favour'. That's wrong."
Dutch referee Bjorn Kuipers added that officials often made decisions based on the way footballers fell, meaning players who were fouled could cut their chances of being awarded a free kick if they reacted theatrically.
"Sometimes when there is a small contact it's easy to blow but if the player makes it look worse, it makes it look like simulation," said Kuipers. "Players should not overact when there is a foul ...[sometimes] he is too eager to go down, that is sometimes why there is not a good decision."
Kuipers, another Champions League official, said referees ran about 12 kilometres and made around 300 calls in a typical match but only got noticed when they made one wrong decision.
"We can referee a match for 90 minutes and we can do it without problems but if there is one moment that we miss, then we do not speak about the 90 minutes of good refereeing, we only speak about this incident," he added.
"Don't make crucial mistakes - that's the most important part for the referee."
Undiano estimated that a referee spent 10 to 12 hours preparing for a game.
"One of the differences is that 14 years ago we didn't do this," he said. "You turned up for a game and it was ,'Let's see what happens'. You had a little bit of time to visit the city but nowadays, generally, we go direct to the hotel or training pitch, on the match day you go to a meeting in the morning, you have a meeting before the game and the following day you leave very early.
"A referee who at the end of a game knows he hasn't made a mistake and has performed well is the happiest person in the world."
Kuipers echoed his colleague's sentiments.
"As a boy you dream to be a professional footballer," said the Dutchman. "When you are a referee, and the players accept you as a referee and give you 22 hands after a match, you can be happy."


Top ref compares diving in football to doping

Alberto Undiano

Sport

Football

Match officials spend hours researching teams to see which players are most likely to fake fouls


As far as referee Alberto Undiano is concerned, diving by players is comparable to doping because it is becoming more sophisticated and difficult to detect.


Top ref compares diving in football to doping

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Match officials spend hours researching teams to see which players are most likely to fake fouls

Match officials spend hours researching teams to see which players are most likely to fake fouls