Scottish FA want video evidence on diving

FIFA will be urged this weekend to allow video evidence to be used to punish players who dive.

The annual meeting of the International FA Board, the game's rule-making body, in Gleneagles on Saturday will hear a call from the Scottish FA to toughen up the rules on simulation.

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Under current FIFA regulations, diving cannot be punished retrospectively if the referee has seen the incident and made a judgement call not to yellow-card the player involved.

Scottish FA chief executive Gordon Smith said: "We feel it's an important issue to improve the image of the game and we want to put it to FIFA to see if something can be done.

"As an ex-player myself, I get very frustrated when I see what the situation has become in football.

"If some sort of action could be taken I believe people would think twice about doing it, especially if they knew they risked being punished retrospectively."

Smith understands FIFA's wish to protect the status of referees but argues that the game has moved on.

Furthermore, he points out both FIFA and UEFA have used television footage to ban players for simulation in the past.

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Smith added: "My position is that television is such a big part of the game now that there are certain incidents when it can be helpful in terms of the image of the game.

"There have been examples in the past - Rivaldo was punished in the 2002 World Cup after he pretended he had been hit in the head when the ball was kicked at his legs."

In September, Lithuania's Saulius Mikoliunas was suspended for two games, after UEFA found him guilty of diving to win a penalty against Scotland.

There was another incident at Celtic Park in October when AC Milan's goalkeeper Dida was banned for a match by UEFA for over-reacting after being confronted by a fan.

Dida was taken off the field on a stretcher despite minimal contact and was later suspended for unsporting conduct.