Scottish Football Association chief executive Gordon Smith has urged UEFA to punish Arsenal striker Eduardo for diving in the Champions League play-off round second leg against Celtic.
Eduardo won a penalty in the Gunners' 3-1 win at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night after appearing to throw himself to the ground in the area.
Smith wants UEFA to act retrospectively to punish the Croatia international, in the same way they dealt with Lithuania striker Saulius Mikoliunas, who cheated to earn a spot-kick against Scotland at Hampden Park in September 2007. Video evidence was used to sanction Mikoliunas, who was banned for two matches.
The SFA recently applied that precedent to punish Rangers striker Kyle Lafferty, who feigned being headbutted by Aberdeen defender Charlie Mulgrew during a Clydesdale Bank Premier League game in May.
Smith said: "Eduardo is a terrific player who has battled back from a serious injury to resume playing at the highest level.
"However, last night he showed disrespect to the game by his actions in winning a penalty against Celtic.
"Since I came into this post, I have raised the issue of simulation time and time again - both here in Scotland and with FIFA and UEFA.
"I don't think that I have received enough support in my efforts to eradicate what I believe to be one of the most serious threats to the integrity of football. Last night showed exactly why we must take this issue seriously.
"We have shown the courage to use retrospective punishment when it comes to simulation and I would urge UEFA to do so in this instance. Everything that can be done to stamp it out must be done - starting right now.
"Wednesday's incident also brings the whole issue of video evidence to the fore."
Comment 13 - 32 of 32
Was there contact or not, did Boruc touch the ball or get anywhere near it? There was very slight contact with Eduardo, Boruc was too slow coming out, he got nowhere near the ball, the challenge was clumsy and could have been very dangerous.
If we are going to over-analyse every penalty decision then there could be a long list of issues.
Clichy's tackle against Birmingham not a penalty but given, ball touching Gallas' arm not intentional so no penalty but given. Where will it end...
You'd think people didn't like Arsenal. Couldn't see this happening to Sir Alex, Ancelotti or Rafa...
Fact is Smith is a huge Great wobbly womens top half, Celtic are an entertaining team, Eddy had a stroke of luck from the ref ,YOU TELL ME ANY PLAYER IN ANY DIVISION WHO WOULD NOT TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT Yeah none!
All the more reason to introduce video tech in football. But for crying out loud, u guys are bleating like sour losers. Eduardo seems too technically sound a player to feign diving. And anyway, diving or no diving, could Celtics ever have won that game???
#18 mary_surgjones - firstly even fellow/honest gunners will admit that the scumbag dived...as for your assesment of Scots being lazy etc... perhaps you might want to rethink that unless you feel that George Graham was the same (he is a Scot btw), achieved alot of success for your club so i'm led to believe?
Next you will be telling us he has PTSD, get a life!
Gunners fans "sour grapes and the tie already won" If so why dive? just because you didnt have a jammy goal to get you ahead in the 2nd leg by that point!
Shame on you Wenger, moved from his usual "i didn't see it" to it looked like a pen or this BS that he had a flashback from his leg break, and to say he is not a cheat! give us a fecking break and I wud love to see the loo on his face if that scumbag gets teh book thrown at him!
Oh the bad Celtic players fouled us boo hoo, yes there were fouls and free kicks and bookings... i believe on both sides... mmmm
I used to like watchin Arsenal but after this blatent cheating I hope Man U pump you this weekend, just like they did in last seasons CL... when you were outplayed and outclassed at home then LOL
Feck all! Your gonna win feck all, your gonna win feck all!
gooner3001 i was saying the same thing today, Rooney blatantly dived & we lost that game
as rangers and spurs fan i wished the scums could knock each other out, ho hum......
Let me get this right did Eduardo dive 5 times or just the once?! Yeah thats right the score was 5-1 not 1-0. Although I'm not condoning what Eduardo did, why is he getting crucified. I remember not too long ago Rooney diving in the box when Campbell was at least 2 feet away from him to end Arsenal's 49 match unbeaten run, but not a word was mentioned in the papers the following day. Double Standards me thinks!!!!!!!!
18, Hey Mary doll, I suggest you go listen to some of your English based radio stations and hear that there are people from all over the UK with something to say on the incident.
I HOPE THAT FECK SMITH ALSO WANTS SANCTIONS AGAINST BURLEY? MANAGER MY ARSE.
ENGLISH TEAM AND A DEIGO CHEAT LIMEY CLUNTS
Please don't tar all the scots with the same brush-the better ones of us enjoyed last nights game.Funny how nothings been said about the pro IRA chants from the septic fans eh?.
mary_surgjones: Think you wil lfind that not one SINGLE Scot (including Gordon Smith) complained about losing. What they are disgusted about is the BLATANT dive and the cheating in the game. Nothing to do with winning or losing but EVERYTHING to do with the integrity of the game of football.......FACT!
P.S. Scottish teams are used to losing and their press handle it in a mature manner. Think you will find that the sensationalism in the UK is more of an English press thing. Every major championship they enter their team is bummed up to the point that they have won it without even turning up and when they fail all hell breaks loose. England has a history of being sore losers....ANOTHER FACT!
I have not seen one Celtic fan complain on this forum. We were beaten by the better team, however, Edweirdo cheated and their is no room for this in football.
Rangers fans will see how good Scottish football is, your team is as good as they can be in Scotland today, better players play in better leagues and you will see that in the CL. I hope they do weel for the sake of Scottish football but I doubt it.
What's this cry about Eduardo being banned? these Scots are just lazy-big-mouthed-losers. they just dont want to accept defeat. Arsenal were the better team in both ties. Gordon Smith should be ashamed of himself for getting involved into this. they are all losers. the penalty was the refferee's decision, not Eduardo's. Eduardo was simply being cautious, and tried to avoid Boruc's contact. We all knew what he passed through in the hands of a Birmigham rough tackler. he wouldn't want a repeat of that. he is just being cautious.
Come on Scots, accept defeat. or we change ur country name from Scotland to Sulkland. sounds better,huh? hehehehehehehehe
I am a rangers fan and love to see the septic getting hammered but i would like to mention 3 points first eduardo should have been sent off for cheating , secondly this isnt good for our european co-efficient and third if the septic are getting hammered like this what hope is there for scottish football long term . king walter is right we need to do something that should have been done 25 years ago . get the facilities and structure in place for our kids and their kids or we will still be watching @#$% football in another 25 years time .
To does whinning about Eduardo..can you all stop? Goosh! Ban him for what? If it is so serious tell FIFA and UEFA to use video evidence and overturn decisions, you can't give one man all the authority on the pitch and expect him to get it right and not be able to take a second look and overturn his mistake. Now leave Eduardo alone, after all Babel stole the CL from Arsenal and nothing happened to him. C. Ronaldo, Gerard, Drogba have all dived at some match or another to win. Please. Platini and UEFA are the Cheats!
sore third class loosers
play in the EPL blue sq is more their level
Celtic were beaten by the better team no doubt however take away a dived freekick that led to a deflected goal, an own goal and a dive for a penalty Celtic should have been beaten 2-1.
UEFA should ban the player.
Eveyone talks about video evidence, how about at halftime the referee can look over controvercial decisions and if the player has dived, send him off and remove the goal?
why not?
I don't like anyone diving, Arsenal or otherwise.
Please login to post a comment
Not already a Yahoo! user ? Sign up to get a free Yahoo! Account