Five years on from the last meeting between two giants of world football, Real Madrid and Juventus served up a first half of fascinating quality on Wednesday night to tee up what should have been a sensational crescendo. But, yet again, the fans leaving the Bernabeu at full-time and those digesting what they had seen on TV all across the globe were left talking about cheating and abysmal officiating after Giorgio Chiellini’s ridiculous red card.

The decision to send the Juve defender from the field of play in the 48th minute of his side’s 2-1 Champions League Group B defeat would have damaged the memory of what should have been a fantastic match regardless of the context. But Cristiano Ronaldo’s unforgivable play-acting and the officials’ conclusion that Chiellini should play no further part for simply administering the kind of defending that is seen 100 times per game struck a blow against the spirit in which football is supposed to be played.

Chiellini had already fallen foul of the assistant referees once, with Madrid’s vital second goal coming from a penalty conceded by the giant stopper after he pulled back the home side’s Sergio Ramos at a corner. That decision had been made thanks to good communication between the team of officials, with the additional assistant behind the goal helping the referee come to the correct outcome.

However, Chiellini’s red card was altogether less worthy, and the main person to blame for the dismissal was Ronaldo. When chasing a ball into the far corner of the field, the Madrid striker was side-by-side with Chiellini when the Italian stretched out a high arm to leverage a path in front of the €94 million man, making contact with Ronaldo at the top of the chest before sliding his arm up against the Portuguese’s chin. Ronaldo’s response was to sprawl across the turf, clutching a face in general and nose in particular that had not been touched.


The correct decision would have been to award Real Madrid a free-kick, with a booking at most issued to Chiellini, while referee Manuel Grafe would also have been well within his rights to book Ronaldo too for his sensational simulation. Instead, with Grafe unsighted due to the angle at which the two players had been running, it was left to the assistant referee and official behind the goal to lend their wisdom to the episode. Unlike with the penalty incident, he was badly let down by his team, receiving word that Chiellini had committed an act of foul play when clearly he had not.

Juve coach Antonio Conte immediately responded by replacing goalscorer Fernando Llorente with defender Leonardo Bonucci, limiting the outlet the Bianconeri had earlier had when taking the game to Madrid. The red card, coupled with Conte’s decision to err on the side of caution, turned a thrilling contest into something of a non-event thereafter.

How many more times must major fixtures be ruined by disgraceful decisions based on cheating footballers who are trying to get one over on opponents by foul means rather than fair? Chiellini was wronged by the team of officials, but more so by a fellow professional. Ronaldo also spoiled the enjoyment of most of the watching world with his successful attempt to con the referees.

Much is said about the need for video evidence in football, but first and foremost it is the players who need to become the vanguard of fair play, especially those at the very top of the sport such as Ronaldo. In truth, that is never going to happen. Increasingly, officials are becoming a bunch of ill-equipped kindergarten teachers trying to control sneaky children attempting to get one another into trouble. It is world football’s job now to find the best detectors of this cheating as much as it is to get referees who are fully aware of the rules.

Huge punishments for cheats would be a start, but it appears a non-starter in the eyes of the game’s governing bodies. Officials need to take greater responsibility for taking big decisions without a huge degree of certainty over what they have seen too.

Another potentially fantastic game has been ruined, and football fans are left with yet another sour taste in the mouth as a result. Sooner or later, something has to be done.


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Been saying it for so long now. Football HAS to introduce replays and technology. Why on Earth is Football still suffering so much because of human error, in 2013. Baffles me.

any video of the dive??
and is it really that surprising that ronaldo dived?? not the first time he did it..

Surprising? Not at all
But this kind of shit is effecting results every couple of weeks. The authorities need to stamp down on play acting AND introduce video replays

There's so much money riding on football and games being decided by cheating and/or terrible human error in 2013 is a joke. Regardless of which team(s) are guilty.

I can't help you with a video yet. Look around though.

Here is the situation, not a card, but still a fk imo.

ronaldo is holding the wrong side, i guess the wind hit him too hard.

Ronaldo's dive wasn't as embarrassing as Arturo Vidal's.

FK yeah, Chiellini runs towards Ronaldo

Nothing else. Disgusting to hold your face, and disgraceful as an official to fall for it.

Chiellini is clearly more interested in fouling Ronaldo than winning the ball.

Ronaldo is a play-acting fool, but Chiellini is dirt personified.

You see this in most games

It's a free kick
If you're feeling card-happy. It's a yellow

Straight red? Joke.

Video replays please.

Tomwin Lannister wrote:FK yeah, Chiellini runs towards Ronaldo

Nothing else. Disgusting to hold your face, and disgraceful as an official to fall for it.

Chiellini has his hand in Ronaldo's face, and he isn't going for the ball, fk imo, but a mild one. But still a disgrace that the ref showed the red.

The_Badger wrote:Ronaldo's dive wasn't as embarrassing as Arturo Vidal's.

this was so funny
Happy he wasn't injured though, have seen some of my friends getting serious injures in situations like that

funny enough that #24 did the same exact thing that was done to Ronaldo, arm up to Vidals neck.. no red for him no is there.

Vidal wasn't complaining about that 'dive' but few moments before he got stamped on

Doesn't look like Authorities will ever seriously punish divers


It's not like there's a lack of incidents where simulation and bad officiating has screwed a game up. Yet nothing gets done. Ever.

English plz I no speaky italiano
is he telling the ref to get sick?

don't think vidal's one is a dive, just made great impact with his foot into the ground but looked silly trying to get a foul out of it. he also had good control of the ball and could've shot/cross, doubt he'd dive.

The_Badger wrote:Ronaldo's dive wasn't as embarrassing as Arturo Vidal's.

Yeah but we are discussing Ronaldo's dive here . At least you are not denying it , would have been pathetic.

I'd go as far as saying it's barely a foul .

The only thing i hate about football is this kind of stuff ... Refs call are always up to debate.

Vidal got clipped, took a wild swing, screwed himself up then complained

But as Donuts rightfully pointed out, Vidal took a soft arm to the chest/face too but no dive, no playacting and no penalty or red card

Human error is too big of a factor.

Why on earth in that situation would you put your arm anywhere near his face?

Not saying I think it was the card but Chiellini loves getting all over players and it's going to get him in sticky situations. Just keep your arms down and stop being a grub and it wouldn't have happened.

lszanto wrote:Why on earth in that situation would you put your arm anywhere near his face?

Not saying I think it was the card but Chiellini loves getting all over players and it's going to get him in sticky situations. Just keep your arms down and stop being a grub and it wouldn't have happened.

Haven't play a football game in your life ??

The problem lies elsewhere.

Bénin wrote:

lszanto wrote:Why on earth in that situation would you put your arm anywhere near his face?

Not saying I think it was the card but Chiellini loves getting all over players and it's going to get him in sticky situations. Just keep your arms down and stop being a grub and it wouldn't have happened.

Haven't play a football game in your life ??

The problem lies elsewhere.

Obviously but give a diver an inch and they'll take a mile.

I believe like many of you that it was a foul.
But none of you are realizing that without Chiellini's arm blocking Ronaldo, it was a clear goalscoring opportunity. You are allowed shoulder to shoulder but Chiellini doesnt do that, the ball was nowhere near where he tackled. He stuck his hand out and it was a foul. It was a clear goalscoring opportunity and hence a red card.
An unpopular opinion but i feel entitled to one

punkfusion1992 wrote:I believe like many of you that it was a foul.
But none of you are realizing that without Chiellini's arm blocking Ronaldo, it was a clear goalscoring opportunity. You are allowed shoulder to shoulder but Chiellini doesnt do that, the ball was nowhere near where he tackled. He stuck his hand out and it was a foul. It was a clear goalscoring opportunity and hence a red card.
An unpopular opinion but i feel entitled to one

goalscoring ? If the goal was corner they were shoulder to shoulder first, second ronaldo was touching his wrong side of the face. he didn't tackle . Please do post same situation, red card in UCL hell even in La Liga ..

Ancelotti: Chiellini red card changed game
Neta laughed at the red card to, and whole media around the world so please don't say its red it ridiculous just watch how ronaldo touches the wrong part of the face lol

DeviAngel wrote:

punkfusion1992 wrote:I believe like many of you that it was a foul.
But none of you are realizing that without Chiellini's arm blocking Ronaldo, it was a clear goalscoring opportunity. You are allowed shoulder to shoulder but Chiellini doesnt do that, the ball was nowhere near where he tackled. He stuck his hand out and it was a foul. It was a clear goalscoring opportunity and hence a red card.
An unpopular opinion but i feel entitled to one

goalscoring ? If the goal was corner they were shoulder to shoulder first, second ronaldo was touching his wrong side of the face. he didn't tackle . Please do post same situation, red card in UCL hell even in La Liga ..

Ancelotti: Chiellini red card changed game
Neta laughed at the red card to, and whole media around the world so please don't say its red it ridiculous just watch how ronaldo touches the wrong part of the face lol

it was a clear goalscoring opportunity, for me atleast. And from a refereeing standpoint, it seems Chiellini throws his hand to stop Ronaldo from getting to the ball which would have presented him with a clear goalscoring opportunity. I am not going to discuss the playacting, I agree Ronaldo makes the most of it, but in the context of it being a foul that denies a clear goalscoring opportunity it is one, and is a red card.