Pink For Change

I get it.  I do.  I understand the apparent "need" for diving in soccer.  There are many advantages to it.  You get free kicks, you get the other team's player carded or ejected, you get your team some needed rest, etc.  There's a place for faking in soccer.  There's a place for it in every sport.  Anything to gain an advantage is a good thing. But for Christ's sake can there be an enforceable penalty for the most egregious of the over-actors please?

Running down the field with a ball on your foot is not the easiest thing.  You have to keep pace, you have to keep the ball, you have to have your head up, you have to make a good play.  It makes it very difficult on a defender if someone is able to do all those well.  The correct timing needed to tackle is crucial.  One millisecond late and you've taken out the player and rewarded the other team with a free kick, possibly a penalty kick.  One millisecond early and you're on your ass looking back at the guy who just nutted you on his way to scoring.  Tough thing to do.

Let's say you're just a bit late and barely touch the guy with the ball.  There's no chance, in your opinion, he'll go down.  You were careful not to clean him out.  If you wanted to do that you definitely could have done it.  You just got beat.  A touch late, a touch to the ankle, no big deal.  Instead of that player continuing his run and going to goal he's rolling around the ground like he's been stabbed in the face with a knife. No telling what's ailing him.  He's holding his face, his leg, his ankle, his other ankle, all the while screaming bloody murder.  His teammates are claiming attempted murder.  You're standing there in shock.  Did you really get him that bad?  Nope.  Part of the game.  The ref will card you, you'll bitch and moan.  The man who has just faced a career ending injury leaves the field on a stretcher.  They take the free kick and either it goes in or it doesn't.  No matter.  You've been carded.  Your opponent is dyi.....wait......he's coming back on after only 2 minutes......are you fucking kidding me?!?!  At this point you're pissed.  You beg the ref to do something but there's nothing to be done.  There's no blood, there's no bruise, there's nothing to show for that card you just received.  Unbelievable.  There's a good chance that you're going to kill that man for real now.  A good chance you'll pick up that second yellow card and be thrown out of the game.  Son of a bitch.  Enter Big Money's rule.

Article 45.H.89.Q.98 or some shit: If a player, further known as "victim," is to have gotten treatment on the field and/or taken off the field for an apparent injury he is given a PINK card and will not be allowed to return to play until the ref sees fit.  It is at the ref's discretion to allow him back on the field or disallow him from returning altogether.  The minimum amount of time to be off the field of play will be a minimum of 4 minutes.  If the play that produced the player's apparent injury has resulted in a yellow card for the opposing player the "victim" is to stay off the field for a minimum of 7 minutes.  If the play that produced the player's apparent injury has resulted in a red card for the opposing player the "victim" is to stay off the field for a minimum of 10 minutes.  If the "victim" does not receive treatment on or off the field of play, gets to his feet and returns to play within 10 seconds of the apparent foul, no PINK card will be given and the play continues.

This will do a number of things for the game.  It will keep the pace of the game faster.  It will cut down on the shitty acting and diving and crying that is just downright ridiculous.  And it will bring legitimacy to soccer among the US public.  Pink can be good.  Pink can be very good.