Ex-SFA official: Todd Cantwell to be targetted by referees after Rangers incident
Former referee Des Roache claims that Todd Cantwell now has a “target” on his back following his dive against Olympiakos in a pre-season friendly for Rangers.
As reported in the Daily Record (28 July, pg 57), the ex-SFA official noted the 25-year-old would have been challenged by VAR after going down too easily in the box with the Gers were 3-0 down, while noting players who simulate often will be watched closely by referees.
Cantwell went down after Olympiakos goalkeeper Alexandros Paschalakis slide out from his goalline during an oncoming Rangers attack, with James Tavernier scoring the subsequent penalty with the game ending 3-1 to the Greek side.
Roache said: “It’s a clear dive. He was looking for it. Referees need to be strong on simulation. I have always said it should be a red-card offence.
“VAR would have been involved during a regular match and [referee] Steven McLean would have been encouraged to watch a review on the pitch-side monitor and overturn his decision, which I’m sure he would have done.
“Cantwell could have a target on his back in the new campaign because anyone looking at the incident will feel he has gone down looking for the penalty. Players should be given a retrospective red card for cheating.”
Strong precedent needed
Diving is one of the sport’s biggest on-field issues. Players can very easily simulate a foul for an unfair advantage. For non-football fans, diving is often cited as a reason not to like the sport and tarnishes football unnecessarily.
However, it happens because players often get away with it, so it will continue to happen until retrospective bans are given.
Cantwell diving in a pre-season friendly is not the end of the world, but Roache is correct in that he will gain himself a bad reputation for deceitful behaviour and perhaps struggle next season convincing referees of his innocence.
But Cantwell’s dive was poor, and even in a friendly it was unnecessary and would enrage opposition fans.
On the field, it can be very difficult for a referee to spot, as seen with McLean giving the penalty in Cantwell’s favour against Olympiacos, especially if the dive is convincing.
But with VAR now in place across most of Europe and international competitions, any player can be caught and should face consequences post-match to weed out such behaviour.
There is a fine line between diving and showing the referee contact was made, but one benefit of VAR is that referees can see if contact was made.
Cantwell may enter the new season with Rangers with an unwanted reputation. This is not only a detriment to the player himself, but also to his whole team, so if players do not want their team at a disadvantage, then such behaviour must stop.
As long as players think they can get away with diving, it will continue to be a stain on the sport.
In other Rangers news, in the ongoing Danilo transfer saga, Michael Beale has urged patience with the deal edging closer.