Quote:
Originally Posted by troutman
Wouldn't you say only POR dove more than ITA in 2006?
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No, I wouldn't. Italy has a bad reputation for diving, but it is increasingly unfounded and born of years past. Totti was the only one on the team I could consider a flopper. Portugal (Figo, Ronaldo), Brazil (Robinho, Ronaldinho), Ghana(Gyan), France (Zidane), Spain, Switzerland and Croatia were all worse.
For your reference... the top 10 "dives" of the World Cup... 1 Italian... and they got the name wrong, it was Grosso, not Zaccardo. To be fair to Grosso and Shevchenko... theirs shouldn't have been penalties, but they clearly weren't intentional dives, like some of the disgusting antics caught on tape. With the Grosso one, there clearly was contact... just like how Buffon's challenge on Van Nistelrooy would have been a PK if Ruud would have fell. That's a dumb rule, especially when goalies are concerned, but they are all aware of it.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=WgsGG8Mh2PA&feature=related
This one only has 1 Italian "dive" and its the same one... notice how pretty much every team is there:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=8EtGOuBPdtg&feature=related
Everyone dives, including Italy... they're just not particularly bad, like other countries are.