Faked injuries to put the ball out must be stopped

One of the most irritating aspects of the game these days is the fiasco of "putting the ball out" when a player is lying down, apparently injured.

Frankly, it's become a joke.

Several years ago, when the practice became the expected norm, it did seem a sporting thing to do. If a player was lying down injured, the player with the ball would put the ball out of play so the injured player could receive treatment.

Many years before that, it was the referee's decision whether to stop play or not. I'm not sure how, when or why it changed into the players' decision.

Then, after the practice got out of hand - about three years ago - as players were obviously using the ploy to stop opposition attacks, the Premier League decided once again that it would fall to the referee to make the decision. That didn't last long.

It's gone back to the players once more. But while it seems all right to play on if it's one of your own players who's lying injured, apparently it's not all right to carry on playing if it's one of the opposition down on the ground.

Two incidents from Sunday's Chelsea v Spurs game indicate the farcical nature of this appalling gamesmanship - for that is what it is.

In the first half Didier Drogba went down to the ground and stayed down. Spurs had the ball and the referee waved play on. Tottenham's Robbie Keane ran forward, as the crowd began to whistle (wanting the Spurs player to put the ball out). Then, despite the referee having waved play on, Chelsea's Michael Essien made it quite clear he was no longer playing and pointed to Robbie Keane to put the ball out. Keane, left with no choice, did so. Suffice to say, that Drogba carried on after "treatment". (As a quick aside, the ball was thrown back to Spurs, but, incredibly, Drogba made to tackle Ledley King who had just received the ball! Drogba feigned innocence and "sportingly" kicked the ball out again - now deep in Tottenham's half. How is this sporting?)

The second incident was in the second half. A Chelsea attack was mounted when the ball was knocked into the Tottenham half and Drogba, with a good turn was away with the ball. As he did so, Ledley King went down with an injury - which proved to be genuine, as he couldn't carry on - but Drogba carried on. Play developed and ended with a Frank Lampard shot a few yards wide. No putting the ball out, no crowd shouting or whistling at Chelsea's players, no "sporting" behaviour, no Michael Essien pointing to stop play!

What if Chelsea had scored from that attack?

It's actually my view that that attack should have carried on. It's the farce of the first incident that is wrong.

My personal view is that the Premier League should reiterate - and keep doing so until the message gets home - that the decision to stop play is the referee's alone. No matter how much the crowd whistle or the players point, play carries on.

The faked injury to stop play has become such an outrageous act of gamesmanship (nay, cheating) that it must be stopped now. Indeed, Fifa need to take a lead on it before the World Cup is ruined next uear.