Interesting to pick our way through Alex Ferguson's latest comments after the Champions' League game against CSKA Moscow. Ferguson was clearly peeved at Darren Fletcher being cautioned for simulation. Welll he's right and wrong and the referee was right. Fletcher was fouled but he also dived. His two-legged tumble looked theatrical and way out of proportion to the slight contact made by the Russian defender.
If Fletcher had at least tried to stay on his feet or even just stumbled naturally, then I'm pretty sure the referee would have given the penalty. But the theatricality of the dive fooled the referee into thinking it was nothing more than a dive. Hence the yellow card for simulation.
The laws on simulation have been toughened to try and stamp out the cheating. On this occasion Fletcher cheated himself. He only has himself to blame.
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