After offering his opinion on Twitter regarding what he believes football could do to curb diving in the game, Nigel Owens was then invited on BBC 606 to further discuss his thoughts.
bring in citing for it after the match. Like rugby has on foul play. Suspension if guilty
— Nigel Owens MBE (@Nigelrefowens) December 10, 2016
Owens thinks that football should introduce a system similar to rugby which allows players to be cited for offence following a game.
I think if they brought in something similar to what they have in rugby with citing. You can look at an incident after the game and if a player is found to be guilty, then you can ban the player depending on the seriousness of the offence. That doesn't stop the flow of the game. You don't have to look at any replays. I think it would be hugely beneficial.
Owens believes this could be particularly effective if it meant teams losing essential players for a number of games.
Those people who tend to dive are the ones who score the goals and if you lose your best scorer for a couple of games then it's pointless having him in the club because he's not playing enough games.
You can listen to Owens on BBC 606 below.
"Citing would be hugely beneficial" - top rugby ref @Nigelrefowens on diving in football. https://t.co/CiSPU0VPdZ
— BBC 606 (@bbc606) December 10, 2016
Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
