Video replays could catch sly tumblers
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Your support makes all the difference.Video replays could soon be used to identify and punish players guilty of diving if the Football Association succeeds in convincing Fifa, the world governing body, it is in the best interests of the game.
The FA hopes to raise the issue of retrospective punishments formally when the FA's International Board convenes in Manchester in March. And depending on Fifa's approval, new rules will be explored to allow the use of post-match video evidence to penalise cheating tumblers.
The FA spokesman Andrin Cooper said: "We have asked Fifa in the past to consider it [allowing retrospective punishments] and we will again raise the issue of using video evidence retrospectively for diving and ask them to reconsider the level of flexibility they may be willing to grant.
"We want to try and convince them that it is in the interests of fairness and the image of the game for the principle to be entertained."
Whether the FA succeeds depends on whether Fifa views the issue as a major disciplinary problem or an attempt to re-referee the game after the whistle.
Cooper said: "Whether it will be a formal item for discussion or any other business kind of thing, we really don't know at this moment in time. We are the only nation pursuing this.
"The issue for them [Fifa] is if the referee sees it then that is it, you don't re-referee the game. We agree with that general principle, but think there needs to be a bit of give on the borders there in the interests of fairness. Unless we can get the principle agreed by Fifa there is not a lot we can do.
"We want Fifa to grant a bit of flexibility for us to examine how we may make it work. We haven't gone down the road of putting a proposed system in place yet.
"I don't want to blow this out of proportion, all the FA is trying to do at the moment is get some flexibility from Fifa. Then we will explore what we can do."
Elsewhere, the Football Association of Wales is considering approaching their Scottish counterparts over a joint bid to host the 2016 European Championship.
The FAW secretary David Collins decided to explore the idea after talks with Welsh sports minister Alun Pugh.
He told BBC Wales: "It's worth investigating if Scotland and Wales could put a bid together.
"We were in discussions with Scotland a few years ago to see if we could put a joint bid together for Euro 2008 but that didn't really go anywhere.
A Scottish Football Association spokeswoman said it had received no formal approach from the FAW.
The SFA and the Football Association of Ireland had a bid to host the 2008 finals rejected.
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