Clubs need to combat diving says Everton boss Martinez

03 January 2014 14:46

Everton boss Roberto Martinez has called for a communal effort to help eradicate diving from British football.

Simulation has been back on the agenda in the Barclays Premier League after Chelsea's Oscar was booked for the offence having gone to ground in the box during his side's 3-0 victory at Southampton on New Year's Day.

His manager Jose Mourinho later described the caution as "a fair yellow card".

And asked about simulation on Friday, Martinez said: "I can be sympathetic with the referees.

"It is so difficult to make big calls at the moment because you have certain players that more often than not try to simulate and try to go to ground easily.

"That makes the referee's decision a lot harder.

"We all need to accept and understand that referees, if they are not 100 per cent, are not going to give the decisions. I think that is part of the game and it is our fault - we have done that.

"It has been creeping in and has been happening now for a couple of seasons.

"But I prefer to see a referee who is firm and wants to be 100 per cent before giving a big decision, rather than falling for a player buying a decision."

Martinez is not keen on the idea of using video technology to combat diving but feels referees do need help from everyone else in football with regard to the issue.

Asked if he felt managers had a responsibility to tell their players not to simulate, the Spaniard, who has been in the United Kingdom since 1995 as a player and then manager, said: "We do.

"I think everyone who is involved in the game does not want to see it.

"I always felt extremely proud of the British game compared to other leagues around Europe in that we haven't got it in our culture.

"But unfortunately it has been happening - we have been a mix of cultures in the last few seasons and we are going to be getting that side of the same.

"I think it is down to all of us to try to eradicate that and get it out of the game."

Source: PA