Catching the divers

I watched the Chelsea v Porto game on TV last night, and was delighted to see less histrionics than is perhaps normal in a European club game. Chelsea won 1-0, but were never entirely comfortable and Porto gave a good account of themselves. With the other game in the group (Atletico Madrid v Apoel Nicosia) ending goalless, these two already look like favourites to qualify.

However, it was the way the game was played and refereed that caught my eye. Well refereed by Mr Plautz, none of the players resorted to diving or overt time-wasting. Excellent!

Maybe they had read the report (reported here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/6193679/Psychologists-help-referees-spot-a-dive-in-football.html) from psychologists at the University of Portsmouth who have found that footballers use a series of distinct actions when faking a fall during a match. Indeed!

The report says: "These include clutching their body where they have not been hit, taking an extra roll when they hit the ground and taking fully controlled strides after being tackled but before falling."

We've all seen it!

Beyond those moves, the report suggested that the biggest giveaway was when players "hold up both arms in the air, with open palms, chest thrust out, legs bent at the knee in an 'archer's bow' position."

Dr Paul Morris, at the University, specialises in how people show emotions and intentions. He said: "Referees have a very difficult job and given the demands of the task, they do it remarkably well.

"We think even experienced professionals could enhance their decision-making by studying the categories of deceptive behaviour we have identified."

Let's hope they do.