Henry’s a diver? A Response.
What is diving? And is Thierry Henry guilty of it?
The author of the few hundred posts on the issue over the past two weeks would like you to believe he’s guilty of diving. But before we move on to a serious dissection of the author’s stance, we must first define an operational understanding of the term diving or else this article would be as superficial as several on the issue on this site.
Diving refers to an act whereby a player simulates a foul and/or injury in order to extract an advantage from the referee that would otherwise not have been given. Clearly, this definition covers behavior designed to gain an illegal and unwarranted advantage.
First case in point: France v Spain.
Puyol obstructs Henry by forcing an elbow into the Frenchman’s chest. A stonewall foul. However, Henry chooses to disgrace himself by clutching his face, which was nowhere near Puyol’s elbow. An act not becoming of the great striker, and was rightly condemned. However, it was a foul, and a freekick was awarded. Therefore, Henry did not a) make up a foul that wasn’t or, b) gain an advantage that France did not deserve.
Moving on to our second latest case in point: France v Portugal.
Following a string of quick passes, the ball lands at Henry’s feet in the Portugal penalty area. Henry takes a quick turn that leaves Ricardo Carvalho on the deck. Carvalho, in desperation, kicks out at Henry, catching his shin and putting him off balance. A clear penalty. However, Henry is seen to gain some traction on the ground with his toes and though he could have tried a leap off that position for the ball, he went to ground. Again, he did not a) simulate the foul or, b) get France anything they did not deserve.
In both the above cases in point, Henry has done nothing illegal. The only regrettable case was the first one where his face-clutching antics left many with a sour taste in the mouth.
And given our functional definition of diving, and as none of the above cases in point were illegal calls, Henry can only be accused of exaggerating his injury in the first case, and has done nothing wrong in the second. Where is the “diving�, I ask you?
While I appreciate my fellow posters comments on Henry being a great and all that, it’s difficult to appreciate any sincerity in those comments considering the exaggeration of analysis as far as those particular incidents is concerned, to suit the author’s inclination to brand him as a cheat.
This comment especially embodies the attitude of my fellow poster:
Update: Portugal players have resorted to diving (even Ronaldo), but hey, they’re not as good as Henry and Ribery, are they? Of course not.
Not as good as Henry and Ribery? Trying to find the implication here, the most obvious being that Henry and Ribery’s alleged diving is worse than that of Portugal. Again, trying to keep the debate sane and credible, let’s apply our definition of diving to the case of Portugal against France.
The Portuguese were going down like flies in the summer heat, when they weren’t even touched. Thus gaining freekicks that those incidents would not have merited. Cristiano Ronaldo’s not as good as Henry and Ribery? Even if we take the author’s comment in jest, Ronaldo’s “Superman� dive (thank you for the term, whoever used it in the comments box in another post) impersonation and Pauleta’s impersonation of an Allied soldier at Normandy were of far “superior quality� than the alleged misdemeanours of Messrs Henry and Ribery.
Portugal did not “resort� to diving, they are habitual cheats and divers. And if the author really wants his sincere concerns about diving in football to be taken seriously, I suggest that he start bashing habitual DIVERS. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, where are the pieces on the entire Portugal squad? Where is the piece on Ronaldo and Adriano? Rooney, Gerrard, Owen and Joe Cole? Michael Ballack? The Argentinian National Football Ballet?
Cry me a fucking river, Superman.
All the latest football headlines.
However you describe it what henry did was as bad as what Rivaldo did when the ball hit his legs and he went down clutching his face! He is a Cheat clear and simple
A set of observations that might make things clearer for you.
1) Where are the articles on Ronaldo, Robben and other players diving?
Here’s a tip for you. Go to NewsNow, check the Manchester United section. Here’s the link: NewsNow Manchester United Feed. Once there, see the top posts area on the right.
Almost all the posts are talking about Ronaldo.
See football coverage on Sky Sports, ESPN and what not. Turn on your tv. Every single person is talking about it.
Ronaldo, and all the other divers, have gotten enough coverage in the media to last the issue a lifetime. They have all put it quite eloquently what a dirty player he is, and how he’s ruining his talent by taking theatrical tumbles and feigning injury.
I’ve talked about diving in several other places, you would do well to read it. As for talking about specific players, I’ve covered the Ronaldo/Rooney incident but not specific instances of players diving because there has already been enough coverage about it in the media and on football sites.
A lot of readers have criticised me about ‘picking on Henry’ and not writing about habitual offenders who are much worse. My view is that 1) those guys are already tried and convicted as cheaters and divers by the viewers, and the sad part is that it has become a part of the game and 2) this is a childish response. I’m not picking on Henry, I want to know why this person who we hold as a model sportsman and one of the few true rolemodels left in football is picking up these bad habits.
We already know those other players are divers. My job is not to bash every single diver. In this case, I’m raising an issue that believe is central to how we perceive and treat football:
Are we going to let the ‘good guys’ turn into the ‘bad guys’ just because ‘everyone else is doing it’?
This isn’t about diving and divers. This is about Henry, what he means to football and how he has a hand in shaping the future of the sport.
The most popular players are automatically statesmen for the sport as well as looked up to as rolemodels. Remember how Rooney’s invitation to come speak to kids somewhere was withdrawn because of his on-field actions?
There is a very strong need to curb this tradition of cheating in football.
And cheating, mind you, never starts with cheating. There are baby steps, from making the most out of fouls to pretending to be a little more hurt than you are to pretending to be hurt when you’re not to diving, when you fall to the ground without any contact being made in the hopes of winning something for your team.
The responsibility lies with the game’s officials to catch and punish this sort of behaviour, but they are not the only ones responsible for it. So the players themselves have to be responsible.
And it has to start at the top, with the best players setting an example.
I refuse to accept the argument that since everybody does it and since it’s ok to do it, he should make a meal out of every challenge. I thought he was above that.
2) Are my posts ‘baiting’ Arsenal fans?
The headlines were not meant to bait anyone, but I understand how they come across. You also have to realise that because this site is new, it’s regular readership is not as big as the droves of Arsenal fans who came here when these articles hit NewsNow’s Arsenal Feed. Arsenal fans would undoubtedly hate my observations, although to accept a football fan’s comments on face value is like believing that Ronaldo was fouled by Sagnol just because he fucking said so. Fans are biased, they are emotional and at the end of the day, their opinions will not be objective.
It would be interesting to see how several thousand non-Arsenal fans react to the articles.
3) Confession
I’m guilty of losing my objectivity as well as being overly sensational. Still, the points raised in this article (and to an extent, in other articles on this topic as well) are valid and of real concern.
When your best players start down the dirty road, it’s not good for the game.
http://tinyurl.co.uk/ohc5
I agree with the comments that it’s very sad to see so many big time players making a meal of very little contact. I’m an Arsenal fan and huge Henry supporter, and was very proud when he didnt dive at all in the Champions League final, the poor guy got kicked all over the park and what did he get for it?Nothing!
Now, looking at his performance in the World Cup…….
I’ll admit it was a bit naughty to go down holding his face when Puyol blocked him, it was a foul, I wouldn’t say he dived, he just milked the contact more than was needed.
Against Portugal…..it was a foul, he went down easy but it was definately a clear cut penalty, diving?No. Going down after relatively little contact?Yes, but there was still contact all the same.
I recall a cross that Portugal had and it was like all their players had land mine’s under them, they just fell over as soon as the ball came near them, blatantly looking for penalties, thats diving!No contact but still going down.
Now, after all the huge articles with the words “Henry” and “diving” in them…..a bit unecessary.
That you are concentrating on one player who has done it twice in the whole tournament when many have done it far more is a joke.I know what he said after the Champ League final,and I know his recent actions are contradicting what he said, but he hasn’t dived. He’s made a meal of contact made, there is a huge difference. Contact is made means there is a foul, just cos he has to over react slightly to ensure the ref gives him the decision doesn’t taint his persona, it shows us who the real ones that are to blame are…….THE REFEREES AND FIFA!!!!
They overlook major incidents like Figo’s headbutt (he got a yellow so it’s ok!) and haven’t done a single thing to punish diving and play acting!If they gave out a yellow card for players who are blatantly diving then many teams would have to abandon matches cos they wouldn’t have any players left on the pitch, especially POrtugal last night, it was a joke.
I pride myself on being English and how our players next to never dive and play act, and I can’t recall a time when we’ve crowded the ref and brandished imaginary cards like Barca did in the CLF.Like some have said tho, it seems to be more and more common and accepted as part of a game that is sposed to be a contact sport. I play basketball which is supposed to be non-contact, and believe me, I get hit far harder and more often than in football.
I agree it’s ruining the beautiful game and making such high class players look stupid and weak, they are grown men for God’s sake!
Until FIFA and referee’s clamp down on it though it looks like its going to stay a sad side to the sport I love.
I’m glad we see very little of it in the Premier League, well, compared to other major foreign leagues (Chelsea with Robben and Drogba may be an exception!)
Let’s just hope the final won’t be decided on such a decision and it’s a good game and pray that the rules are changed or modified asap to make sure this black spot on the great game is wiped out, before they start wearing american football style pads and needing a referee for each player to make sure they don’t get touched.
How can a pro be so great if a baby tap brings him down crying? How come he only goes down when he mistouches a ball and cant make a play? Henry you know your a diver admit it. This is why pro football and FiFA is a scummy cheating sissy sport.
First off let me say that i have only recently come across this site and on reading it extensively (esp the Arsenal articles as an avowed Arsenal fan) i have to say the quality & most of the replies to the posts are quite well written & interesting.
To add my 2 cents to this debate i’ll start off by stating that i am also a big fan of France as well & Henry in particular.
To examine the question of why Henry is picking up bad habits like ‘diving’ i will have to agree with Rocky Dixon’s viewpoint to an extent that technically speaking the 2 incidents should have been called fouls anyway (in my own humble opinion) if we had the benefit of replay technology being factored into referee’s decisions & also if the referee was in a mood to examine the incidents more closely. I am sure there might be a lot of people who disagree with this but again that’s just my viewpoint from the replays i saw coupled with whatever i know about football.
The Portugal incident was a straight out and out foul by Carvalho. He did obstruct Henry physically & yes maybe he would have been able to go on & score the goal despite that & then again maybe he wouldn’t have because of the obstruction. Who knows? Is it fair to say to Henry ‘well you should have tried to score anyway?’ No. Because a rule was broken & in a professional game you abide by the rules of the game. The debate on this incident is pointless as it was a technical foul no matter which way you look at it & i think that most football commentators would ignore Henry’s subtle reaction because that was all it was, subtle & not worthy of serious discussion.
But i have no doubt in my mind that the Henry incident against Spain was disgraceful to say the least. To say that it was brought on by the frustrations of the Champions League final against Barca is, in my mind, not an excuse to return the favour. But i also wonder that if Henry had not reacted the way he did would the foul by Puyol gone unpunished? Judging by the viewpoint of the ref and the bad refereeing decisions that had been made in the World Cup till that point i think it would have, and Henry might have seen his frustration reach boiling point and he might have lashed out a la Zidane style & then we’d REALLY have something to talk about. I’ve never seen Henry lose it in a match & i wonder if he might have done that day.
I would just like to say in conclusion that i don’t think we can hold any footballer up on a shiny pedestal no matter how much they would want to help you polish it themselves. Everyone has a bad day and no one is saintly in this game as much as we want them to be. Zidane is a classic example of this situation.
Since then i don’t think i have seen Henry do anything close to that bad but if he starts to make a regular habit of it then i will put my view of him on the same pedestal i put C.Ronaldo and most of the Italian squad. That’s down in the gutter where regular diving cheats deserve to stay.
I think the culture of diving has only been brought on by the culture of bad refereeing. Sure the players should exercise some self-control & show some class but to expect them to do it 100% of the time is just stupid. They get paid to win matches & if things are not going their way they will naturally resort to such means. That’s where good refereeing comes in. If these incidents get caught & punished on a regular basis the players will think twice before they do anything like that again & then maybe we’ll see better football matched being played. I would criticize the referees & FIFA in the same breath i criticize the players who do the diving. They have the power to stop it. All they lack is the will to do the necessary.
The fact Henry is being singled out in this discussion is proof its self that he isnt a huge cheat that many are making him out to be. Where is the is Ronaldo a diver? is Robben a Diver? is Deco a diver? Nowhere, and the reason is that its clear as daylight they are. We have to debate Henry because hes not a extremist cheat like the others.
And another point that i want to make is did any of you actually watch the game against Spain??? Henry was elbowed several times before that one incident and he himself admits he overeacted but only due to the lack of protection.
Im not saying Henry doesnt dive, in fact its becoming more a part of the frenchmans game, but he himself isnt to blame. Before the Spain game, was there ever major talk of Henry diving, NO, because Henry was always a honest player hed rather stay on his feet than win a freekick. REMEMBER THE FA CUP FINAL AGAINST SOUTHAMPTON???? Henry could of won a penalty in the first 2minutes but stayed on his feet. The opposition player (whos name i forget) came out after the game and thanked him for saving him from a red card. But being honest came with a price. He very rarley had decisions go his way, the Barca game in Paris is the ultimate example. He was kicked to pieces by Puyol and several others without any protection from the ref because he wouldnt roll around like he had been struck by Sniper. Then what does he see around him, players (including Eboue) winning freekicks because it apears the wind is strong enough to (temporarily) fracture there shin bone.
Henry has been an perfect role model for kids over the last few years but he is being sucked into the cheating as it seems that these days its the only way to play the game.
The spain game was his breaking point. He had enough. Leave him alone, its taken him until his late 20’s to pick up the habbit, Robben and Ronaldo have always cheated and dived. Cut the King some slack…..