BY Vitalfootball

Scottish Football Association chief executive Gordon Smith has vowed the powers-that-be will stamp out diving next season - but nothing can be done about Kevin Thomson's apparent dive against Celtic on Saturday.

The SFA are hoping to introduce a system that will allow divers, or "simulators," to be punished retrospectively if video evidence shows they have cheated - for lack of a better word - in order to win a foul. There is no system currently in place to investigate incidents after the event.

However, it must be stressed that Rangers midfielder Thomson has denied he did anything wrong when he went to ground, and was stretchered off, following a "challenge" by Celtic striker Georgios Samaras in the 78th-minute of Saturday's top-of-the-table clash at Ibrox.

Thomson said it was "outrageous" to call him a "cheat and a diver" because "that kind of thing" was not in his nature. However, he did admit he could see why people may think he was trying to win a foul (see here). If the incident had happened next year, Thomson may have had to explain himself in front of a panel.

Smith was quoted by the Evening Times as saying: "Simulation in the game is something we are determined to stamp out. From next season we'll be introducing a system that will allow us to retrospectively punish instances of simulation when the evidence allows us to do so.

"We have led the way on this issue. It was the SFA that raised it at the recent International Football Association Board meeting. We've monitored simulation this season and will be adjusting our procedures for next season to enable action to be taken against blatant simulation."

Unfortunately, while the idea of video evidence may have its benefits, it remains clear that unless the officials on the pitch take action all of these new rules will be, to an extent, pointless.

For if a player won the league on the last game of the season by diving for a penalty, any sort of punishment after the event would be insignificant compared to the fact the player's club had just won the league title thanks to his cheating.

Unless the SFA are to order games to be replayed under such circumstances - and that is as unlikely as it would be ridiculous!

----------------------------------------------------------------------