Open letter to all professional football players in the world:

Dear professional football players,

We are the millions of fans that follow you on TV and cheer for you in stadiums every week. We are the kids that dream they are you while playing in the backyard. We are the adults proudly wearing jerseys with your names.

We admire and look up to you as examples of strength, skill and success. However it has become far too common to see you diving and faking injuries in hope you will gain advantage over your opponent.

We watch instant replays on television and we can see it happening. Evidence of dishonesty is aired, recorded, re-watched. We see how, in football, dishonesty on the field is accepted and at times even rewarded. The world’s youth is watching and the message they receive is clear: it is OK to succeed through deception.

We call upon you to be an example of honesty to the next generation. We ask you to engage with honour on the field. We ask you to respect your opponent and to respect your fans. We ask you to #StopDiving.

Sincerely, your fans.

P.S. Learn more about this cause: StopDiving.org

(Previous petition titles: Make Russia 2018 the first World Cup with no diving, Stop diving and restore honour & honesty in football)