I have thoroughly enjoyed this year's World Cup, but I found it bizarre that there is a consolation match between the two losing teams of the semi-finals to battle it out for the seemingly meaningless title of third place. No one remembers who came in second place, let alone third. I think the World Cup should follow the NCAA Final Four basketball tourney format where there is only one winner: the winner of the final match. My biggest complaint, shared by many others, is the laughable--if it wasn't so god damn irritating--tendency of the players on the pitch to resort so frequently to theatrics. When slightly nudged or grabbed or bumped, the "victim" (or more accurately, diver) tumbles to the grass with an act that rivals the best Olympic gymnastics floor routine--all to grab the attention of the referee and hopefully earn a free kick or a card against the opposing player. For all the talk about soccer being a "beautiful game" and a skilled one, lets call these player's exaggeration actions for what it is: unsportsmanlike and cheating.
Admittedly, I don't know what solution there might be to address this issue. The field is too big and the action too quick and minute for a referee to truly discern the genuine from the disingenuous. In the same way some sports are defined by the hardiness of the players abilities to take coma-inducing hits (hockey most notably), I think the issue of diving is ingrained in the culture of futbol. Therefore, this diving problem cannot be fixed at just the elite international level of play. It must occur at its roots in the playground, gymnasiums, youth leagues and so on. The culture of soccer must change to the extent that diving is considered a dishonor to the utmost extreme.
Along with the culture modification, the finger for a player and team's tendency for diving must also be pointed at the general, the head coach. The coach sets the play, attitude, and personality of a team. In this light, a player that dives has the tacit approval of the coach. I think if a referee draws a yellow card for diving, the coach should receive one too. If another player on the same team receives another yellow card for diving, the coach will receive his or her second card as well, resulting in the coach's expulsion from the game. Diving is a controllable act and therefore, the penalties should be extreme in order to root out this disease from an otherwise beautiful game.
With only a few hours left before the start of the final match between France and Italy, I'd just like to say "Go France!" It's extremely difficult for me to not root for the "old men" or more specifically, the French captain Zidane. He is everything a world class soccer star should be and I'd like to see him go out with the proverbial final-at-bat home run.