Beckenbauer urges crackdown on play-acting

Franz Beckenbauer has called for a footballing summit to crack down on diving and cheating.

The former World Cup-winning captain and coach, and head of Germany’s 2006 organising committee, said players are now taking advantage of referees’ apparent willingness to award cautions for relatively minor offences.

Beckenbauer, known as the ‘Kaiser’, said: “The players are looking for an advantage and they attempt to exploit the situation.

“At the beginning of the tournament, I felt the referees were showing yellow cards too early for trivial offences but the players make it much harder by simulating, and by staying lying on the ground to interrupt play.

“Perhaps everyone – players, referees and administrators can get around a table after this to come up with a solution to put an end to this kind of unfortunate incidents.

“Perhaps there could be a compromise where referees are more generous.”

Beckenbauer also wants the rules changed so that any player who tries to get another player booked or sent off by waving an imaginary card at a match official is himself cautioned.

“This is unsporting and unfair,” said Beckenbauer.

“I think that whoever asks a referee to give a yellow or red card to another player should get the card himself.”