The Torquay initiative

[digby]

Have you heard about this ??  It's amazing !!!

Torquay have started a campaign to stamp out cheating and diving in the game. They will sack/transfer any of their players caught cheating or diving on a consistant basis. They will operate a '3 hits and you're out' system. Their new chairman has spearheaded this, and is serious about it, hoping it will catch on and spread throughout football.

I sent the following mail to Torquay

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The Torquay initiative - in a word - 'FANTASTIC' !!

Many congratulations on having the honesty, the initiative and the 'balls' to launch this idea.

Every true football fan is behind you on this.

However, I suspect you'll get a lot less support from other clubs, particularly the bigger
clubs. Can you see Chelsea firing Robben ??

I wish you all the best with this endeavour.


PS - as a Swindon fan, I'm glad the penalty incident on Saturday wasn't the result of a dive !!

Cheers,

Andy
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I was amazed to receive the following reply, only minutes later, from the Chairman himself !!

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Hi Andy,
I thought the Penalty was for push had a clear view no problems with that. Thank you for your message of support. Why not lobby your local team. If we all work together we can take back the game we love from the cheats and the conmen.

Check out www.torquayinitiative.org

Regards
Chris Roberts
Chairman Torquay United FC
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I think it's a great idea - do you reckon STFC would sign up for it ??

[herthab]

It's bollocks. Sorry, but it's completely unworkable. I admire the guys reasons, but it's clearly not well thought out.

If a ref blows for a penalty, but YOUR employer thinks you've faked it, who has the last word? How can you legislate this with regard to players contracts? If a player wants to leave your club, what's to stop him from diving three times in a game, to get his move? If your best striker is accused of diving three times, do you bin him, even though he's scored nearly all your teams goals?

What needs to be done is to make the referees book or send off all divers and then ban them for three games, it's already in the rules and how many times have you seen a ref wave play on after a dive and not book the diver? Loads... We need refs with bollocks, who aren't afraid to send cheats off. It wouldn't take long, as soon as managers start seeing their players getting bans, they'd make sure it stopped.

[sonic youth]

i'll pass ta.

[blinkpip]

I quite like the idea. But I feel FA/FIFA should ban any players trying to dive, con the ref.  Some cases are hard to judge, So...
Tricky.

[Chubbs]

I think whats he's trying to do is to scare the players so they wont dive, and there for the manager wont have to sack em,

it all depends on the type of manager he is, if the players know he will do it, even though he has no intention to do it then they will stop diving

if players know a manager is soft and wont have the heart to do it, then its a waste of time.

all in all i agree that refs should have more balls to sent divers off.

[Fred Elliot]

Thats toooooooooooooo red

FUCK OFF !

[Rich Pullen]

It's too idealistic. It seems like more of an attempt to put Torquay United on the map.

Fact is managers and coaches encourage such behaviour: REF: Barcelona vs. Chelsea at the Nou Camp this season.

Plus Ian (tw)Atkins will struggle to attract players to the club... As if they don't struggle already!

[Piemonte]

Bollocks. I want our players to cheat if it means winning.

[Rich Pullen]

Looky like the Torquay Initiative will be given to a former Czech International... with Pulis going "upstairs"

It'll never last!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/t/torquay_united/6175884.stm