Luis Suárez dive would have cost him two Premier League games
The English top flight will analyse improper actions by players and apply retrospective sanctions upon them which would have impacted on the Barcelona star.
The act of simulation by Barcelona's Luis Suárez during the Spanish Super Cup first leg has gone unpunished in Spain but would have almost certainly resulted in a two-match ban for the player had it taken place in the English Premier League.
Restrospective diving ban
Passed in May and taking effect from this season, the English Football Association has introduced a 'diving ban' that will see offenders retrospectively punished. If found guilty of simulation the player will automatically miss two matches. This punishment includes anyone "attempting to deceive the referee by feigning injury" and more than this it can also result in the player who is penalised during the game having their yellow or red card rescinded.
There is a panel in place each week to review controversial footage from the league games. This panel comprises a player, a manager and an official who were previously involved in professional football. Let's look at how this could have affected two key incidents in Sunday's game had there been a similar panel in place:
Luis Suárez and Cristiano Ronaldo
1. Luis Suárez wins penalty
If the panel decided upon review that the Barcelona star had dived to deceive the referee and win the penalty he would miss the next two games. Had Keylor Navas been booked for the perceived foul on the Uruguayan, which he wasn't but it's a useful hypothetical example, this yellow would have been rescinded.
2. Cristiano second yellow
If the panel reviewed the moment that Cristiano went down with Umtiti's hand on his shoulder and believed it not to be simulation, then the yellow card that was given would be removed from the records and any planned punishment for that incident cleared. (Clearly what happened next - i.e. Ronaldo's push on the referee - would still need to be punished according to the appropriate rules).
Will LaLiga follow Premier League clean-up act?
Although much of the focus was taken off the generally accepted dive from Suárez thanks to what happened to Cristiano and the fact that Madrid ran out comfortable winners in the end in spite of the penalty goal for Barcelona, it will be interesting to see if football authorities in Spain adopt the same strategy in the near future. Suárez for his part took to Twitter after the defeat with an optimistic message: