Diving is an aspect of the 'dirty' side of football; by punishing it we increase respect and sportsmanship.

Football has an endemic problem of cheating and lack of respect. Diving is the most elaborate form of cheating in professional football, but it stems from a basic disrespect and lack of authority in the game. Referees frequently lose control of games and scuffles break out, whilst flagrant verbal abuse is inflicted on the referee as a matter of course. Ashley Cole turning his back on referee Mike Riley in the match at White Hart Lane in March 2008 is a case in point; having committed an egregious foul on the Tottenham defender Hutton, Cole proceeded to give a torrent of abuse, blatant disrespect, and ultimately only received a yellow card. Change must come from the top. Referees must be paid more, must be given the power to give cards for every instance of dissent, and should be helped to achieve this by the adoption of the 'sin bin'.

Diving is already adequately punished; through the surprisingly effective method of public ridicule. With the action replay being screened on television, players know that an obvious dive is going to be immediately spotted by the people who really matter; the fans. Referees are undoubtedly in a difficult position due to the highly competetive atmosphere of football. Yet the solution is not to make their lives more difficult by telling them to strictly punish an offence which is extremely difficult for them to correctly identify. 
 
Let the ridicule of fans and pundits get the message through to football stars that diving is not on. Their reputation is key to their career; it is what gets them sponsorship, transfers and big salaries. It is in their interests to be anti-diving.