Knotaclu
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Scottish Football Association chief executive Gordon Smith has called on Uefa to punish Arsenal striker Eduardo for diving in the UEFA Champions League clash with Celtic.
Eduardo infuriated Celtic's players after he appeared to throw himself to the ground to win a penalty in the Gunners' 3-1 second-leg win at Emirates Stadium.
Celtic midfielder Massimo Donati, who scored Celtic's consolation on Wednesday night, feels Eduardo deserves to be banned for his actions and Smith wants Uefa to take action against the Croatia international by reviewing video evidence of the incident.
He said: "Eduardo is a terrific player who has battled back from a serious injury to resume playing at the highest level.
Disrespect
"However, last night he showed disrespect to the game by his actions in winning a penalty against Celtic.
"Since I came into this post, I have raised the issue of simulation time and time again - both here in Scotland and with Fifa and Uefa.
"I don't think that I have received enough support in my efforts to eradicate what I believe to be one of the most serious threats to the integrity of football. Last night showed exactly why we must take this issue seriously.
"We have shown the courage to use retrospective punishment when it comes to simulation and I would urge Uefa to do so in this instance. Everything that can be done to stamp it out must be done - starting right now.
"Last night's incident also brings the whole issue of video evidence to the fore.
"I see absolutely no reason at all why we cannot use technology to assist referees - particularly in live games.
"I know that some people say that TV evidence would damage the flow of a game, but I believe the proposal that I put forward to both Fifa and Uefa whereby football would adopt a similar approach to tennis in offering a set number of challenges can work.
"We need a serious debate on these issues. Everyone in football has a responsibility to set the right example to our youngsters.
"We can talk all we want about Fair Play campaigns, but taking action would be a much more powerful deterrent and would send the right message to players everywhere."
Eduardo infuriated Celtic's players after he appeared to throw himself to the ground to win a penalty in the Gunners' 3-1 second-leg win at Emirates Stadium.
Celtic midfielder Massimo Donati, who scored Celtic's consolation on Wednesday night, feels Eduardo deserves to be banned for his actions and Smith wants Uefa to take action against the Croatia international by reviewing video evidence of the incident.
He said: "Eduardo is a terrific player who has battled back from a serious injury to resume playing at the highest level.
Disrespect
"However, last night he showed disrespect to the game by his actions in winning a penalty against Celtic.
"Since I came into this post, I have raised the issue of simulation time and time again - both here in Scotland and with Fifa and Uefa.
"I don't think that I have received enough support in my efforts to eradicate what I believe to be one of the most serious threats to the integrity of football. Last night showed exactly why we must take this issue seriously.
"We have shown the courage to use retrospective punishment when it comes to simulation and I would urge Uefa to do so in this instance. Everything that can be done to stamp it out must be done - starting right now.
"Last night's incident also brings the whole issue of video evidence to the fore.
"I see absolutely no reason at all why we cannot use technology to assist referees - particularly in live games.
"I know that some people say that TV evidence would damage the flow of a game, but I believe the proposal that I put forward to both Fifa and Uefa whereby football would adopt a similar approach to tennis in offering a set number of challenges can work.
"We need a serious debate on these issues. Everyone in football has a responsibility to set the right example to our youngsters.
"We can talk all we want about Fair Play campaigns, but taking action would be a much more powerful deterrent and would send the right message to players everywhere."
