Divers could face trial by television

Real Betis winger Joaquin Sanchez (2nd L) despairs after being booked for diving during a Champions League match against Chelsea in October 2005. Players who dive to win penalties or simulate injury in a bid to get opponents booked could soon face disciplinary action based on video reviews of their actions.

Players who dive to win penalties or simulate injury in a bid to get opponents booked could soon face disciplinary action based on video reviews of their actions.

England's Football Association (FA), pressed into action by a string of flagrant examples of players attempting to con referees, has begun discussions with FIFA aimed at getting the laws of the game revised to facilitate a clampdown.

As things stand, national football authorities cannot act retrospectively if a referee is deemed to have dealt with an incident during a game, but the FA believes it is now time for change.

"We are in discussions with FIFA on retrospective disciplinary action and we have raised diving as a priority area where video evidence could be used," said the governing body's chief executive, Brian Barwick.

"We also stressed the need to tackle the issue by insisting that clamping down on diving should be a priority at this summer's World Cup."

The issue of "simulation" has risen to the top of the FA's agenda following a series of controversies, the most recent of which concerned Chelsea winger Shaun Wright-Phillips, whose tumble in last week's FA Cup tie with Newcastle resulted in Magpies defender Robbie Elliott being sent off for a second bookable offence.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has led calls for action.

"The problem has been there for quite a few years and it is obvious it has got worse," Ferguson said earlier this week. "The difficult thing is how do you stop it.

"The players diving have an advantage over the ones making a tackle because a lad going to make an honest tackle can receive a red card, yet referees can only give the guy who cheats to win a penalty or get someone sent off a yellow, which is an amazing thing.

"You could give someone two yellows, I suppose, but that is not going to have any impact. It is a discrepancy which is always going to cause controversy."