A-LEAGUE coaches fearing a backlash are remaining tight- lipped on the diving debate.

Some A-League coaches contacted by The Advertiser have privately declared diving is hurting the game but are refusing to make their stance public.

They can be fined by Football Federation Australia for making comment.

A former first class referee also wanted to remain anonymous but claimed diving is spreading its tentacles across the A-League and fast.

Diving also appears to be penetrating the English premier league which was a competition that always prided itself on being one of the last bastions of honest football.

Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero became the ninth English premier league to be booked for diving on the weekend this season (but it appears the referee got it wrong).

No players have been cited for cheating in the A-League this season.

But deception is creeping and incidents of dishonesty appear to be increasing by the round.

More and more players are taking liberty to use the ploy and it’s making the life of match officials incredibly harder than what is already is.

The most common deception is a player receiving minimal contact and then taking theatrical tumbles in an effort to deceive.

It is a deplorable act.

So too is gesticulating to match officials inferring a yellow or red card should be pulled out of referees’ pockets after a foul.

Match officials should not have to ensure the extra stress of thinking about whether a player has won a legitimate free kick or resorted to deception.

The A-League does have an independent match review panel which does look at round-by-round incidents.

Four years ago the A-League did break new ground when it took a major stand against diving for the first time.

Former Perth Glory striker Michael Baird and ex Central Coast midfielder Patricio Perez were both handed two-match bans after winning game-changing penalties with alleged dives.

Perez and Baird were banned under the A-League’s simulation rules which were introduced in 2009.

The new rules meant the match review panel would look for simulation missed by the referee, where players had won penalties or had opponents sent off.

And at the time the A-League became just the second competition in the world behind the Scottish Premier League, to pioneer the sanctions.

In 2012 former Adelaide player Jeronimo Neumann incensed Wellington Phoenix when Ben Sigmund was sent off during United’s 3-1 win after the defender made contact with the Argentine.

The match review panel refused to look into the incident because the red card was deemed correct.

Originally published as Divers hoodwinking the A-League