The referees just aren’t strong enough in my opinion. Yes, they’re quick enough to hand out yellow cards for a completely innocuous tackle but when it comes to sorting out players who roll about in agony when hardly toched, all forms of time wasting, tugging and holding in the penalty area, surrounding the referee in droves, bad mouthing a referee etc., they do nothing.
Take all this holding in the area, if a defender does it, point to the spot and if an attacker, give a free kick. Players would soon get the message but they don’t. To hold or grab a player at a corner is just accepted. However, if it happens outside the area a free kick is given.