THE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION is cracking down on cheats by introducing two-match bans for diving.

And the new law will come into effect from this Friday with the Championship’s first game.

The sanctions will come into place from Sunderland’s Championship home match with Derby County at the Stadium of Light on Friday, the first game of the new league season, but the idea has been on the agenda for a year.

The authorities will thereby seek to punish incidents that involve clear and overwhelming evidence of simulation, and that had significant consequence on the outcome of a match. It is thereby seen as worthy of a greater punishment than a player actually getting caught by the referee in a match, since the former is successful and the second is attempted.

So, if a player is believed to have dived to win a penalty or get an opposition player sent off, that will go to review that could well see a two-game ban.

Any player who is mistakenly sent off as a result of an opponent diving will have their red card overturned, and the FA will also increase the length of bans for recurring offenders.