Did Gareth Bale Dive Again Against Scotland? Shaun Maloney Says Not…

Chris Wright

13th, October 2012

21 Comments

By Chris Wright

Sadly, last night’s international fixtures passed me by, largely due to alcohol/house fire-based reasons, though whispers did reach my conch that Gareth Bale had been up to his old tricks again, going down like a sack of shit being slung from the back of a truck to win a late penalty…

Admittedly it looked like a shameless dive in real time, but on closer inspection it seems that Bale was knocked out of his stride when Shaun Maloney’s thigh nicked the Welshman’s leg as he sprinted into the area – a theory backed up by Maloney himself, who told The Sun:

“I think there might have been a little contact. I have not seen it again and it happened all so quickly I’m not entirely sure.

“I didn’t make a challenge as such, I think Bale just ran across me — but I don’t think he dived, that was my gut feeling. I think it was a coming together and one of his legs touched me. I was just trying to run back to try and help our left-back, I tried to do that all game.

“It was just unfortunate that this one time he got in front of me and ran across me it ended up being a penalty. I can only apologise to my team-mates.

“It’s one of these things that can happen in a match and I am very disappointed.”

Fair enough, and there was absolutely nothing contentious about Bale’s other major contribution to the night’s entertainment, slinging an excellent angled shot across the goal and into the top corner to win the match for Wales in the 89th minute…

Delicious.

(GIF: 101GG)

Posted in GIFs, International football, Videos

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21 Comments

  1. thisISben says:

    Not once did I think this was a dive.

    And the fact it takes the player fouling Bale to come out and say before people believe must piss Bale off.

    But then again, thats what you get for diving so often.

    Credit to Maloney for coming out and saying that.

  2. Si says:

    Having seen the replay about a hundred times now, I have not seen one angle that suggests that Maloney make anywhere near enough contact for Bale to go down.

    If their thighs touched (ooh-er) it was because Bale cut across Maloney, who tried to get out of the way, which cannot in any logical world be a foul. The boy is disgusting and it’s a shame, as his other goal was world class.

  3. Alex says:

    Regardless what Maloney says, Bale fell like stone after a featherlight touch. He knew what he was doing, decided to cheat, and once again a clueless official fell for it. Bale cheats. End of.

  4. Steve-t says:

    @ Si

    “I have not seen one angle that suggests that Maloney make anywhere near enough contact for Bale to go down.”

    They are running at top speed. A little shove that would do nothing to you standing still will make you fall over when running full out. I’d be the first to throw Bale to the vultures but this time he didn’t dive.

  5. Scott says:

    Yeah, there’s barely any contact. Watch the way bales legs just instantaneously collapse – fair enough some contact may have knocked him off balance, but even his standing leg flies up into the air.

  6. squiggle says:

    If we can’t call that a dive then we can’t call anything a dive. Maloney might have brushed him but he clearly flung himself down all on his own (and with a little flourish that makes me embarrassed to watch).

  7. Si is an idiot. says:

    @Si: Are you blind or just an imbecile? The .gif above clearly shows Bale’s right foot catch Maloney’s thigh. Then, because of the contact, said right foot hits the back of Bale’s left leg, which causes him to fall. It’s called tripping, and it doesn’t take a shitload of contact to make someone fall like that when running at full speed.

  8. mark says:

    It wasn’t a dive, but Scotland had a perfectly good goal chalked off for no reason.

  9. ilikeboobs says:

    Imagine if retrospective video decisions came into the game and this was one of the first examples…seems to be a split opinion, then what happens to the result after the game when the goal that came from a supposed dive then counts towards a victory…

    I think in this instance there maybe have been a smidgen of contact that caused bale to kick his own heels, therefore its a pen. However, it doesn’t change or cloud my opinion of him, he has turned into a complete pansy, clearly believes in all the hype around him and is just a cocky twat really. there was an incident at the start of the second half on the right wing where he was muscled out away from the ball, an arm came across his shoulder but it was no foul. he went down holding his face looking for a free kick after the meerest of touches and he got it. He is a cheat full stop and i cant be arsed with footy with this chat starting to dominate the game.

  10. Si says:

    @Si in an idiot:

    Ah, you are relying on a single .gif, eh? Well, re-read my post and look at the other angles – which I have been subjected to all day – as well as read the other comments and you will see that the issue is far from clear-cut. Hence the original post.

    The issue, as most “non-imbecilic” people are discussing (bless you and your Famous Five insults, you wee scallywag, you) is whether the gentle rubbing of thighs is enough to bring down a six foot muscle-bound professional sportsman. I think not but others do.

    Everyone is entitled to a reasoned opinion. Even you, scamp.

    And if we are relying on the .gif, there is not a trip to be seen in it, other than the classic “clip the back of one’s own heel” trick.

    People disagreeing on a comments board? Surely not…

  11. Si says:

    @Mark – the fact that the Scotland goal was disallowed was an absolute disgrace. The standard of modern officiating is woeful. If I acted that negligently in my job, I would be sacked / struck off.

  12. marajonna says:

    @si don’t be a div. It clearly wasn’t a dive. I know you’re hurting right now and it’s easy to jump on the bale is a cheat bandwagon but relax, you were never going to qualify anyway. Neither are Wales. Don’t get so worked up about something that has no knock on effect whatsoever, it’s embarrsssing.

    I’m sure you’ll be involved in a major tournament soon, if not you can just create your own again and have another home countries. That’d be nice wouldn’t it.

  13. SI says:

    @marajonna – That is all very sweet, but I am English.

    Not qualifying seems fairly unlikely at the moment, although stranger things have happened. Like someone not assuming that I’m “foreign” (i.e. not English) simply based upon a two letter name on a comments board.

    I’d wake Watson up if I were you, Holmes. You’ve clearly had too much poppy.

  14. Anonymous says:

    Bollocks. Maloney did make a little contact, but you can clearly see the split second where Bale was about to put his leg back down to continue the run, then lifted it back up again after he realised. Ducking Civing Funt, end of.

  15. Gazza says:

    I think marajonna was trying to put logic to your lack of understanding that when someones legs are clipped at high speed they will fall over.
    He thought you were a biased Scottsman, not an idiot. Seems he might have been wrong….

  16. Jarren says:

    Bale & Suarez should form a comedy / tragedy double act.

    Funny when they blatantly dive, tragic when they’re not given decisions due to their previous.

    Coming soon to a theatre near you…

    The Boys Who Cried Wolf

  17. HotSpur922 says:

    Gareth Bale is hot, i’d impregnate him.

  18. Si says:

    @Gazza – no-one is disputing that a proper clip at high speed can cause someone to fall. What is being disputed is whether the extremely slight contact that was / may have been made was enough to drop Bale to his knees as if he had been shot in the face.

    The logic is self-explantory and is in no need to elaboration. Which is why the alleged dive was all over the news at the weekend and Maloney felt (or was) compelled to come out and make his unconvincing statement.

    And if you are going to insintuate that someone is an idiot, perhaps it might be prudent to spell-check “Scotsman” beforehand. Just a thought. Although I liked the turn of phrase though. Good work.

  19. Phil says:

    Seriously,if you can’t see Bale “trip himself up” then you are clinically blind or Welsh.Please stfu about contact.It’s as clear as day.If you have never seen this action applied by a diver before,then watch more football – your knowledge is minimal.

  20. JayMon says:

    Actually Phil, it’s your knowledge that is minimal. This is basic physics. If you’re running and I catch your back leg then it is going to move. In this case it pushed it onto his other foot. It’s cause and effect. If I push you while you’re running, your body will move in the direction of the contact. I appreciate that even mentioning the word physics will most likely confuse you, but it’s a pretty basic concept.

    This is exactly why every striker is taught from a young age to cut across defenders paths. You either get through one on one or you get tripped.

    I appreciate that you don’t like Bale but frankly your argument is pathetic.

  21. Gareth says:

    I’m Welsh and even I can see, and admit, that it was a clear dive. He spotted the corner of the box, cut across the Scottish guy and kicked himself as he threw himself to the ground. He knew exactly what he was doing and he’s making a very good living out of it in the Premiership. Diving will never be cut out of the game, simply because there are so many people who want to defend this kind of cheating. It’s not my cup of tea to be honest. Get Bale in a rugby match, then he’ll know what contact is.

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