It's time to launch ‘McCann’s Law’ to stop the embarrassing theatrics making a mockery of our national sport

​McCann’s Doncaster Rovers side were dominating their League One game at title fancies Huddersfield Town last week when the home goalkeeper sat down and pretended he required treatment.

Now McCann knew the truth, as did the goalkeeper, as did the entire crowd and probably even the referee, although one can never be too sure about our hopeless officials, that this was a stoppage designed to let a manager discuss what was going wrong in the game so far and sort it out.

It’s basically a con-job and Huddersfield are far from the only team that does it, so why do we allow it? Physios and other medical staff are roped into the charade. It’s a multi-way deceit that either needs stopping or, perish the thought, we have official timeouts as in basketball.

Goalkeepers are the ones chosen to deceive because they are not liable to the law that makes other players stay off the pitch for 30 seconds after receiving treatment. Outfield players also like a sit down, but, miraculously, usually spring to their feet before a trainer is called.

I’ve never actually seen a goalkeeper go off after treatment and I swear if referees, or the people who guide them, called their bluff the ‘injured’ party would soon jump up.

That will never happen of course. I believe officials are quite fond of stoppages themselves.

McCann’s words summed it all up. "Huddersfield fake an injury to the goalkeeper after 25, 30 minutes which needs to be sorted out. It's embarrassing. I don't know how people do that, I don't get it.

"The referees association need to sort something out there because that just can't happen. We could easily go 1-0 up and I could do that 10 times. That's how ridiculous it could get. The most embarrassing thing is their manager (Lee Grant) told him to go down. It's annoying.”

RUBBISH REFS

So far there has been no sign of the promised clampdown on holding offences in penalty areas at set-pieces, but plenty of proof that forwards merely touching a defender is a foul while defenders are allowed to manhandle strikers without fear of punishment.

In the Posh matches so far I have seen a referee fail to see a punch thrown right in front of him after rewarding numerous defensive flops in the same penalty area.

I have also see a Posh defender pile into a Wigan forward from behind inside the penalty area and no penalty, or red card, awarded.

On Saturday I saw a weak referee appear to warn Bradford City players about some rather obvious timewasting on numerous occasions without issuing any yellow cards. He would give the players the hurry-up, they would ignore him, and he would turn his back on them and walk slowly into position himself.

I am trying hard not to moan at referees on social media during games, but they make it impossible because they are so randomly inconsistent.

But I am pleased to see the threatened action on time-wasting goalkeepers working. The countdown to a clearance has been effective and moves the game on.

Just now need to find a law to punish faking goalkeepers. We can call it ‘McCann’s Law’.