Fútbol’s Bad Actors

16 Jul

Dive! Dive! Dive!

Fútbol’s Bad Actors by Corliss Buenavida

‍Unless you are in a coma you have probably noticed this little thing called World Cup happening in North America. To be more accurate it is the 2026 edition of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup.

On this side of the pond, most people just know it as the big soccer tournament but for the past 20 years the World Cup has been the most widely viewed and followed sporting event on our globe.

Where I spend my summers, in Toronto, we were fortunate to be one of the host cities and although you could quite easily avoid getting involved there were not too many spots around town that were not focusing their attention upon the games with viewing parties, special promotions or any miniscule connection that could link a space or activity with the World Cup. With our large multi-cultural population every game had a local following along with all the tourists passing through who were here specifically for the event. It seems a good time was had by all but with the final just a few days away things will wind down to a more typical summer.

Congratulations Team Canada and to those from many other countries who exceled beyond previous levels in this grand event!

Now to the important issue made blatantly apparent throughout the games during this tournament.

Whether you call it footie or soccer, what is it with the wimps who play this game on the biggest stage and their need to act like pussies?

I played soccer up to university level; I know you get kicked in the leg a lot and it hurts and you get bruises but lying on the ground crying is such a bad act, and so obvious. They should be ashamed of themselves! What is worse is that as soon as the referee makes his call, they are up on their feet running back to participate in the game. Soooo embarrassing. Try playing hockey you softies!

Speaking of which, hockey has a rule, so players won’t misbehave like that. It’s called ‘Unsportsmanlike Conduct’. I would love to see FIFA push referees to enforce the existing ‘simulation rule’ to curtail this egregious behaviour. These players are all millionaires who are demonstrating to our children that this conduct is accepted if you and your team can gain an advantage – so wrong!

Social media (and to some extent sports media) do a decent job portraying the worst infractions, but it certainly is not deterring many players from taking on their deceitful roles. Perhaps, there should be awards similar to the Razzies, which is the antithesis of the Oscars, accolades for bad acting. Players recognized as ‘Winners’ (or the worst losers) might be more inclined to find some morals within themselves.

In my completely biased opinion, it is more often than not (but certainly not limited to) Latino players who are seen writhing on the grass. I always thought they were supposed to be the macho ones. Macho? Crying to a referee while pretending to be hurt is about as un-macho as you can get. However, some people will do whatever it takes to achieve their goals propelled by ego and lack of moral character.