Why do footballers fake injuries? Here’s what we know

Finally, the 2022 FIFA World Cup is upon us!

For those who don’t know, the very popular global football (or soccer) tournament began on Sunday, November 20 and culminated in the controversial country, Qatar becoming the first host nation to lose their opening match… yeah.

OK, we’re not here to rip Qatar apart, so let’s move on to a different topic: fake injuries.

We’ve all seen a football player roll around in the grass and cry for help, only to get back up a few minutes later and continue as if nothing had happened. Now there will necessarily be many World Cup players who will bring the drama and exaggerations to the field, so we want to know: why do footballers fake injuries?

As much as we love watching a football match, we are losing our love for the sport – why? Well, look no further than players who constantly fail and fake injuries on the field.

According to Launderer’s Report, faking injuries during a match is pure strategy; This tactic, commonly called diving, refers to football players faking an injury to gain an unfair advantage by making it appear as if a foul has occurred. In total, the “injured” players hope to deceive the referees and either obtain a free kick or invoke a yellow card against an opposing player.

So, is there a way to detect if a player is faking an injury? Fortunately, there are many ways! A 2009 study of Nonverbal Behavior Journal found that a delayed reaction and a lack of consistency of contact (i.e. the player grabs a part of the body that was not part of the impact) are the most recognizable traits of diving.

Additionally, psychologist Dr. Paul Morris discovered that the position of the “archer’s bow” is the most important telltale sign of diving. The pose consists of a player raising both arms above the shoulder with palms open, chest pushed out, and both legs bent at the knee to lift the feet off the ground.

“It happens on many dives, but from a biomechanical perspective it doesn’t happen in a natural fall,” Dr. Morris said. The telegraph. “Instead, instinctively, the arms come down to try to break the fall or move to the side to maintain balance.

He added: “Moving the body in this way is a completely controlled behavior, so it clearly does not show a real fall. The moment when both arms go beyond the shoulder is a clear indication of deception.”

Ahead of the opening match of the 2022 World Cup, many casual fans took to social media to discuss their frustrations with footballers constantly faking injuries. A person on Twitter request“For those of you who love football, how can you ignore the constant failures and fake injuries?”

“I think I’ve seen five ‘wounds’ in the 15 minutes I’ve watched so far while scrolling through the channels. It’s painful for me,” they added.

Another commented: “As a non-die-hard football fan, the World Cup is almost impossible to watch with all the flops, people grabbing their legs, fake injuries, and 10 minutes later they are the players the fastest on the field. (It’s the) worst part of sports with the clock.” OK, preach!