Originally Posted by
Elite_Pie
That's the big problem. If a player rolls around in apparent agony, it must be hard for a ref to ignore it. But there are clues - if it's fake it's usually late on in the game where the offending team are ahead or desperate to hold on to a point. It's here that refs have to earn their wage. If it's off the ball, they should play on because if they do play on in 99% of cases the player gets up, limps for a couple of steps, then makes a miraculous recovery if they have a pass to chase. I'm sure time wasting has it's own special slot for some clubs in training now, because a lot of teams are really good at it, maybe including us. A few classics are:
The keeper decides he needs a drink when the ball goes out of play for a goal kick.
The keeper pretends he wants to play the goal kick short when he's played it long all game, and then spends a few seconds looking around before ushering his team up the pitch playing it long.
A free kick is deliberately taken from the wrong place with the taker knowing he will be sent back to take it in the correct place. Job done, he's wasted several seconds which the ref won't add on.
A throw in is deliberately taken from the wrong place with the taker knowing he will be sent back to take it in the correct place. Job done, he's wasted several seconds which the ref won't add on.
And don't get me started on Tozer's towels. The ball goes out of play, he strolls up the pitch to take it, waits for the ball boy to bring him a towel, carefully dries the ball and 40 seconds after it went out of play he throws it back in. This would normally take 10 seconds. If this happens just 10 times in a game it means 5 minutes of the game have been lost. But refs and the rules allow it to happen.