Wigan manager Paul Jewell has claimed that allowing players to dive could help eradicate the problem from football.
Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo and Arsenal playmaker Tomas Rosicky were both at the centre of accusations of diving last weekend, having won penalties for their sides with seemingly little contact having triggered their falls to the ground.
While the debate rages on as to just how incidents of "simulation" can be punished, Jewell believes that a far more relaxed approach could pay dividends.
"I might be the only fellow in the world that thinks 'Why don't we just allow it?'," he commented.
"The pubs are now open 24 hours a day and everyone was worried people were going to be drunk on the streets but there are less drunks on the streets now than what there was when they closed at 11 o'clock.
"So just allow it. Stop everyone talking about it. One week you would get away with it, the next you wouldn't. It would stop it in my opinion.
"No-one likes cheating but I think the best way to get rid of it is to say 'Okay, if you get away with it you get away with it' because one week you will be unlucky.
"What will happen is that one week a player will dive, it will be all over television. The next Saturday the same player will go down and the referee will think 'Hold on, he has dived', and it will later be shown he has been fouled.
"To me it will even itself out."
While neutrals and opposing fans are often infuriated by incidents of diving, Jewell insisted that it was inevitable supporters would be less averse to their own players winning dubious decisions for their team.
"People say it is cheating but if you ask any supporter if one of our players goes down in the box in the last minute and you need a penalty to stay in the league or win a cup you know what they are going to say," he added.
"I might get lambasted for that but it is the way it is. We are all trying to get an edge."
Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo and Arsenal playmaker Tomas Rosicky were both at the centre of accusations of diving last weekend, having won penalties for their sides with seemingly little contact having triggered their falls to the ground.
While the debate rages on as to just how incidents of "simulation" can be punished, Jewell believes that a far more relaxed approach could pay dividends.
"I might be the only fellow in the world that thinks 'Why don't we just allow it?'," he commented.
"The pubs are now open 24 hours a day and everyone was worried people were going to be drunk on the streets but there are less drunks on the streets now than what there was when they closed at 11 o'clock.
"So just allow it. Stop everyone talking about it. One week you would get away with it, the next you wouldn't. It would stop it in my opinion.
"No-one likes cheating but I think the best way to get rid of it is to say 'Okay, if you get away with it you get away with it' because one week you will be unlucky.
"What will happen is that one week a player will dive, it will be all over television. The next Saturday the same player will go down and the referee will think 'Hold on, he has dived', and it will later be shown he has been fouled.
"To me it will even itself out."
While neutrals and opposing fans are often infuriated by incidents of diving, Jewell insisted that it was inevitable supporters would be less averse to their own players winning dubious decisions for their team.
"People say it is cheating but if you ask any supporter if one of our players goes down in the box in the last minute and you need a penalty to stay in the league or win a cup you know what they are going to say," he added.
"I might get lambasted for that but it is the way it is. We are all trying to get an edge."
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