system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why do referees in soccer games fall for the obviously fake injuries, and penalize the opposing team? Why hasn't anyone changed the rules in the game by now to prevent players from faking an injury to cheat the game?

I dont watch soccer at all, but it seems like players do it all the time. These penalties could be game changers.
gpt
Actual Soccer/Football ref here:

The issue is: refs don't have replay, slowmo, or the best vantage point all the time, so you do you best to sort it out through your experience of reffing games.

It is already illegal to take a dive, but many times there is actual contact between players, just played up. In soccer, the flow of the game ("advantage") is taken into account when deciding what to call.

If the offense is making a break away towards the goal and an offensive player is tripped by a defensive player, but maintains control of the ball and keeps moving towards the goal, it would be, effectively, a penalty against the offense to stop play in order to have a kick (even though it is for the offense)

Refs are aware of players taking dives and we do think about it. Here is a secret: if a Ref makes a bad close-call on a penalty for one team, they will often consciously-or-otherwise try to balance it out for the other team if they are able.