What some observers rate as clever and professional, others simply rate as unsporting.
Faking fouls has become a bad habit in paid sport and has now reached such a dimension in basketball that the Bundesliga has set up a committee that is supposed to deal intensively with this issue.
The trigger were the referees, who saw themselves increasingly confronted with so-called faking and flopping and informed the league about this dubious development. After the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) informed the clubs, they quickly agreed to tackle the problem. The situations in which the players live out their acting talent can be categorized relatively clearly.
These theatrical and exaggerated moves to create the appearance of being fouled are common when defenders battle for blocks. But you can also see them in 1: 1 duels when it comes to the question of whether it is an offensive or defensive foul. Distance throws are also an issue in this context because the attackers often consciously initiate or pretend contact. Contacts that did not take place (block and throwing situations) as well as minimal contact through violent reactions are shown to be more significant than they are (alleged offensive foul). Depending on the extent of the pretense, a warning can be given or a technical foul can be imposed immediately. But these instruments are obviously no longer sufficient.
That is why the clubs have agreed on a procedure with the league that is largely based on how the German Ice Hockey League (DEL) deals with this issue. The clubs can inform the league of undetected situations within 72 hours. Then the league, which is also allowed to submit scenes independently of the clubs, decides whether the relevant video material is submitted to a decision-making body. In addition, all cases sanctioned with a technical foul must be verified again in this context.
The first time an offense is detected, the players concerned are informed by the league; in the event of repetition, their names are placed on a list that is accessible to all clubs and referees. However, the question arises whether this list is actually helpful. Ultimately, the point is that the referees evaluate each situation in isolation, without being concerned with past events.
The composition of the committee, which has to determine a flopping or faking with three out of four votes, so that the mechanisms described are set in motion, is also worth discussing. Two former referees, whose names have not been made available to the public, and former internationals Hansi Gnad and Pascal Roller will judge the situation. Here, too, the DEL serves as a model. But why no active top referees? The "faking foul" offense is also about the interpretation and application of the rules. This is the core competence of the referees. Roller also works as a TV expert for Magenta Sport. In this function, he has to assess game situations audibly for the public, including those that fall into the subject area of faking and flopping.Gnad has made a name for himself as a coach in the second division and could soon make the leap to the House of Lords. That is also not a perfect constellation.
The current approach is initially intended as a trial phase until the end of the first half of January. How things will then continue remains to be seen. At this point in time, the league and clubs want to evaluate the experiences made and advise on how to proceed. With the information of the player, the list of names and the composition of the committee, the basketball players have based themselves on the model of ice hockey. Ultimately, however, the DEL is much further ahead. Because it has anchored the punishment and sanctioning of this unsporting behavior in its statutes. This is not (yet) the case with the BBL. Above all, there is a third level in ice hockey, the fine. This must also follow in basketball, otherwise those responsible fight with blunt swords. But it should also be clearthat a body - however composed - cannot replace the decision-making of the arbitrators.