FIFA will not discipline Arjen Robben over ‘dive’

When you list the greatest divers in history, names like Greg Louganis and Sammy Lee come to mind. Unless you are a fan of Mexico’s World Cup team, in which case, you immediately think of Arjen Robben of the Netherlands.

Many soccer fans believe that Robben took a dive near the end of the match with Mexico on Sunday, leading to a game-winning penalty kick in Netherlands’ 2-1 victory. In fact, Robben went on Dutch TV after the game and said, that while he did not cheat to win a decisive injury-time penalty, “In the first half I took a dive.”

The Dutch football assn. quickly issued a statement saying his comments were misunderstood. Because “in the first half I took a dive” leaves a lot of room for interpretation.

On Monday, FIFA said Robben will face no disciplinary action. “The disciplinary committee will look into serious infringements only,” FIFA spokeswoman Delia Fischer said Monday. “We ask the players to play in the spirit of fair play. It’s up to the referees to manage a match.”

So Robben lives to dive another day.