Jewell: Let them dive

Wigan manager Paul Jewell believes encouraging players to make the most of challenges by diving would actually help to eradicate the problem from the game.

Last weekend there were two high-profile incidents involving Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo at Middlesbrough and also Arsenal midfielder Tomas Rosicky in their match against Tottenham. But, although most managers would say they do not encourage their players to go down when challenged, Jewell said they should be given the freedom to do so if they wish.

"I might be the only fellow in the world that thinks 'Why don't we just allow it?'," said Jewell. "The pubs are now open 24 hours a day and everyone was worried people were going to be drunk on the streets but there are less drunks on the streets now than what there was when they closed at 11 o'clock."

He added: "So just allow it. Stop everyone talking about it. One week you would get away with it, the next you wouldn't. It would stop it in my opinion.

"No-one likes cheating but I think the best way to get rid of it is to say 'Okay, if you get away with it you get away with it' because one week you will be unlucky.

"What will happen is that one week a player will dive, it will be all over television. The next Saturday the same player will go down and the referee will think 'Hold on, he has dived', and it will later be shown he has been fouled. To me it will even itself out."