Eduardo’s Diving Suspension Rescinded

By: chris | September 14th, 2009

This is a real shame.

According to the uefa website, this is the logic behind their decision:

‘Not established’
Following examination of all the evidence, notably the declarations of both the referee and the referees’ assessor, as well as the various video footage, it was not established to the panel’s satisfaction that the referee had been deceived in taking his decision on the penalty.

Decision annulled
Therefore, the decision of the UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body of 1 September, in which the player was suspended for two UEFA club competition matches, is annulled.

Which is fancy speak for “we could not prove beyond question that Eduardo took a dive…but he did”.

The shame isn’t that Eduardo isn’t being punished for his crime, and it isn’t that he can now play against Standard Liege and Olympiacos. It doesn’t matter that it’s Eduardo. It doesn’t matter that it’s Arsenal. It doesn’t matter that it’s an English club. It doesn’t matter that he’s (ahem) Brazilian. It wouldn’t even matter that if it were my own mother. It’s that this was such an important step in the fight against diving, a hard line drawn in the sand setting an important precedent for future crimes and a shift in balance from player/club to organizational powers.

As far as I’m concerned, hope is the most deadly four letter word in the English language. The Eduardo ruling gave us hope that a bit of integrity would be returned to a game which is losing it fast. This dashes a bit of hope for the future because UEFA would not stand tall. You could even say they – gasp – took a dive.

And Wikipedia agrees.

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Category: World Football

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Al

This is horrid. I think it is because it's Arsenal (well, a top flight English club). I love the gunners but please. Had it been Celtic or, worse, some lesser level club, we all know it would have stood. It reminds me of here in NYC where a baseball player (A-Rod) did not get suspended despite taking PEDS only because he is a Yankee and the Yankee owner has long since bought off the sport.
Tim

It was reported that apparently Arsenal wanted to take legal action if the appeal was rejected. If that was the case (and regardless of whether it was true), UEFA has just smashed the can of worms now after opening it. No team would be afraid of taking a dive now if they can simulate it well enough. Not to mention Eduardo's "fear of being chopped down" wasn't even all that well dressed. I suppose FIFA will be the next one to lift the transfer ban on Chelsea after this.
MLM

The huge disgust I already felt for UEFA has just somehow increased. This is pathetic, and once again proves their incompetence. I agree it was overreaction towards the matter, but still, to back off now was the worst thing UEFA could do. Things simply got worse than they were. Because, if Eduardo's dive was not a dive in UEFA's eyes, nothing else is. No other player will be punished for diving, coz UEFA simply has no criteria - and no club/player should accept such punishment. IF there's a change in rules, and after the change is made, UEFA wants to punish all (and I mean ALL) divers, story changes. But, it's UEFA we're talking about. A real shame, and a real joke. Laugh if you can.
Kelly

Of course they were going to rescind it when they realized how much extra work they had just given themselves.
Matt

Bottlers. Total and utter bottlers. They should change their name to $UEFA$.
elle

I was all for Eduardo being suspended because of the dive...but now I feel like there's no point if they're not going to suspend players in the future. I was hoping it would be a first step...but alas, it's still UEFA.
john

I have to somewhat agree with sscouser on this. Although I find diving despicable and well worthy of strict punishment, what bothered me about the Eduardo decision was that it undermined the ref's decision. I'd rather not watch a game that will ultimately be subject to next-day video tape reviews. The phrase 'the ref's decision is final' is useful as the end of arguments that are weighted with subjectivity.

...And yet, I would by a beer for the guy who updated the wikipedia page!
sscouser

"Not established" = Ref's decision is final. That's why Ade will not be punished further for instigating the crowd. He may be only punished for the stamping (i.e. if the ref didn't see it).
Ian

I agree in principle with both of you, in that I think applying the rules evenly to everyone is hugely important. Still, if 100 people commit a crime, I'd rather have one caught for it than zero. Unless that one is let go afterward with an apology from the mayor.
Tom

Agree with SP, the real damage was done when UEFA announced that the ban was not going to set any kind of precedent for future punishments.

I'm as much for punishing divers as anyone, but it can't be a "pick and choose" situation, deciding not on merit but on media attention.

If UEFA isn't willing to carry on the path that they started with the Eduardo ban, then sadly, rescinding it was the "right" choice. Any rule and subsequent punishment, no matter how justitifed it may be, is useless when applied completely arbitrarily.
SP

to me, the real problem was when uefa decided to make this a one-off thing and not pursue future dives. after they decided that, i felt like this suspension was eventually going to be overruled. sort of a very stupid "oops, we didn't actually mean to do that" move on uefa's part
Ian

Like the dive itself, this decision is shameful and pathetic. UEFA doesn't care a lick about its own rules, just about keeping big clubs happy.