Everton's Oumar Niasse could today become the first player handed a suspension for 'successful deception of a referee' after he won his side a penalty against Crystal Palace last Saturday.
The Football Association have confirmed Niasse has until 6pm today to answer the charge. A three-man expert panel unanimously deemed Niasse had dived when Crystal Palace defender Scott Dann attempted to dispossess the Senegalese Striker.
Leighton Baines went on to convert the penalty while Niasse himself grabbed a late equaliser as the sides finished all square at Selhurst Park.
Earlier this year new laws were introduced allowing the retrospective punishment of a player if a panel deemed he conned a referee.
Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva and Watford’s Richarlison were not punished this season after the panel did not unanimously deem them to have dived.
The FA outlined who makes up the panel in a statement:
Incidents which suggest a match official has been deceived by an act of simulation are referred to a panel consisting of one ex-match official, one ex-manager and one ex-player.
Each panel member will be asked to review all available video footage independently of one another to determine whether they consider it was an offence of 'Successful Deception of a Match Official'.
Only in circumstances where the panel are unanimous would the FA issue a charge.
After the game Niasse maintained there had been "contact." However football is a contact sport and would devolve into something absurd if every player dived whenever someone touched him.
The plight of diving has been obvious in football for years, this FA move is a bid to quell that.
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