Few things are as frustrating as tuning into a soccer match and watching players constantly falling to the floor and pretending to be injured.
This is a big problem in soccer – so, why do soccer players fake injuries? Let’s find out.
Why do soccer players fake injuries?
Soccer players sometimes fake injury for a number of reasons, often to waste time, for tactical purposes, or to gain an advantage over their opponents. While injuries do occur in the sport, most of the time, when a player looks injured, they’re back on their feet in a few minutes and return to the field. This can be frustrating for supporters, but it’s a big part of the game! We look at why soccer players fake injuries in more detail below.
What are the benefits of faking injuries in soccer?
The main reason that soccer players fake injury is to gain some type of advantage. You have undoubtedly been part of (or at least watched) a soccer match where someone has fallen to the floor with limited or no contact from their opponent.
Much to your frustration, they may have stayed on the floor for several minutes, receiving a visit from the physio. Then, as if by magic, a minute or so later, they’re back on their feet and playing soccer once again as if nothing happened! Generally, there are three reasons for this annoying habit in soccer:
Generally, there are three reasons for this annoying habit in soccer:
Time wasting
When your team is winning, there’s no better way to run down the clock than pretending to be injured. While the referee will add on additional time at the end of the match to compensate for this, it often doesn’t account for the entire period of time a player was down ‘injured.’
This is particularly the case in the amateur game when many referees don’t add a great deal of stoppage time at the end of the match.
You will notice that soccer players fake injuries in the second half of the match more than the first, particularly in the last 10-20 minutes. This is so frustrating for players and supporters of the opposing team, but there’s not much you can do about it!
It’s actually important not to get too annoyed about the other team’s time-wasting, or you might do something that you regret, which could lead to you getting sent off.
Tactics
You might be surprised to hear this, but some soccer players fake injuries for tactical reasons. For instance, if your team is parking the bus, your coach will be hoping that the game is disrupted as much as possible so that the other team can’t get any momentum.
If you’re under significant pressure from the opponents, encouraging one of your players to go down and fake injury provides a period of much-needed respite for your players. Recently, The Athletic published a piece that revealed Southampton players in the EPL did exactly this in a number of games!
So, although it’s not always the case, you might find that a soccer player has faked an injury because it is part of his or her team’s plan to try and win the game.
To gain an advantage
The third reason why players fake injury in soccer is the most generic. As you become more experienced on the field, it’s advantageous to look for opportunities to gain an advantage over your opponents.
After all, the game of soccer is all about the fine margins. Some players fake injury in an attempt to try and get the other players cautioned or in trouble with the referee, thus gaining an advantage.
While this might seem harsh, it happens a lot. A fairly innocuous challenge that the referee wasn’t sure about giving as a foul will turn into a certain yellow card if the opponent player rolls around as if in agony on the field.
This is common in international soccer, and you will see such behavior when players are representing their countries at tournaments.
Do soccer players get punished for faking injuries?
In soccer, ‘simulation’ is a foul under Law 12 of the game. Simulation is actually a cautionable offense, as the law clearly states that a yellow card is issued when a player “attempts to deceive the referee, e.g., by feigning injury or pretending to have been fouled.”
As such, if the referee deems that a player has feigned injury when there is nothing actually wrong, the referee is entitled to declare that a foul has been committed and issue a yellow card.
While this doesn’t always happen in practice, it’s particularly common when an incidence of simulation occurs in the penalty area. Players often fake injury in soccer to try and win a penalty, and doing so will almost certainly lead to a foul and caution issued by the referee.
How does the referee know if a soccer player is faking?
Most of the time, it’s easy for the referee to tell if a player is seriously injured or if they’re faking it. You can often tell by the way a player has fallen to the floor, as well as the reaction of the other players.
If a serious injury has occurred, everyone acts quickly to ensure the player receives the required treatment right away. However, when someone fakes injury in soccer, the referee will look to get the game back underway as quickly as possible.
In an attempt to stamp out cheating in this regard, a player is forced to leave the field for a short period after receiving treatment from a physio. This deters some players from staying down and faking injury for too long, as they don’t want to be standing waiting at the side when the game resumes.
What happens if a player is actually injured?
If a player is actually injured in soccer, the referee will stop the game and invite the physio or doctor onto the field to treat that player. Supposing the injury isn’t too serious, the player will receive treatment before continuing with the game.
However, if the player can’t continue, they will leave the field with the physio and be substituted by the coach. In instances where a serious injury has occurred, a player will be escorted off the field by paramedics with the help of a stretcher, which we, unfortunately, see in the professional game from time to time.
After all, soccer is a competitive contact sport, and injuries do happen fairly frequently.
Recap: Why do soccer players fake injuries?
As we’ve explained, soccer players fake injuries for a number of reasons, but they’re all to do with gaining an advantage over an opponent.
While players do get injured in soccer, you will find that more often than not, they’re staying on the floor to waste time or for tactical reasons rather than because they’re genuinely hurt.