12 Jan 2006(Thu)

January 11, 2006: Overall, the high school final at the National Stadium on Monday was a very enjoyable occasion.

There was some bright, inventive, attacking football, and the atmosphere and emotion provided a colourful back drop.

But a few things worried me during the semi-finals and the final.

First, I saw a lot more diving than I used to see at this level. When I watched my first high school final in Japan, in 1998, it was very noticeable that the players did not deliberately try to win free kicks or penalties. They played honestly, and it was a refreshing sight.

Top referee Leslie Mottram agreed with me at the time, and said that players started to dive when they became professional because there was so much money at stake in the modern game.

Having watched the latter stages of this year's high school championship, there is now very little difference between these youngsters and the J.Leaguers in this matter.

Players would dribble with the ball, and be tackled firmly but fairly, and would then take off and twist and turn in the air after losing the ball. Thankfully, the referees were alert to this, and allowed play to continue while the player picked himself up.

I also felt that too many players preferred to stay down after a challenge, and wait for the cheers of their supporters when they staggered to their feet, rather than just getting up and getting on with the game.

I have said before that in England we regard it as a man's game -- and a man does not want to show pain, as it gives the opponents a psychological advantage. In other words, a defender will think a rival forward is soft if he keeps complaining and feigning a non-existent injury.

The defender will be more concerned if the forward takes a hard challenge and just ignores it.

I hope that, in the future, referees remain extra vigilant at the high school matches.

There is too much gamesmanship in the modern game, and it must be punished from a young age.

Coaches, too, have a duty to protect the spirit of the game, and should tell their players to stop trying to win free kicks. Surely they can see it from the bench, and there should be no shame in quietly, at the right time, telling off your own player.

Let's hope the youngsters concentrate on football and not theatrics in the future. They are very good at the first -- and improving quickly at the latter.

ends