Arjen Robben to escape punishment over 'dive'

The 30-year-old said he did not cheat to win a decisive injury-time penalty but told Dutch TV: "In the first half I took a dive."Netherlands officials have claimed his comments were misinterpreted.Delia Fisher, spokeswoman for world football's governing body, said she was unaware of any likely punishment."We ask players to play in the spirit of fair play," she said. "It is up to the referees to manage the match in all areas and they are trained to identify simulations and issue cards to discourage this behaviour."At a news conference on Monday, Robben attempted to clarify his post-match comments."It's a shame because I was very honest," he said. "Maybe sometimes you are punished for honesty."I said there was one foul in the first half where I went to the ground because I thought he would tackle me, but he took his leg away at the last moment and I went to the ground without a touch. It was a stupid action for me, but it had no influence on the game."In the first half we should have had a penalty, and the one at the end was a clear foul and a penalty. That should be the end of the discussion."Fifa states it can "sanction those who violate the principles of fair play". That section of article 57 of Fifa's regulations comes into play after Robben admitted his guilt.Meanwhile, article 77 gives Fifa's disciplinary committee responsibility for "sanctioning serious infringements which have escaped the match officials' attention" and "rectifying obvious errors in the referee's disciplinary decisions".In February, Fifa president Sepp Blatter called for retrospective action for players who dive, fake injuries and waste time.He wrote in the organisation's monthly magazine: "Video evidence can be used for serious breaches of the principle of fair play such as brawling, spitting at opponents, verbal insults and racist slurs, or for incorrectly awarded red or yellow cards."In cases such as these we must make use of the avenues already open to us and intervene after the event if necessary.''In this context, we should include the faking of injury, intentional diving or time-wasting in our considerations."Blatter expressed disappointment that existing bodies were not using the rules to take retrospective action.(BBC)Bakudaily.az