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The question, then, is it worth a red card to a scrub and a hard foul to take a key player out in the final three minutes?
I don't know how one judges simulation at game speed. Some players are good at it, and it's only obvious because they go down at the slightest touch.
It seems more endemic to the sport. I get why professional soccer players want every advantage, but it is cultural to the sport (note, that's not a slam on any country's culture or any ethnic group's culture). I don't think that's very compelling from a fan perspective.
What is the right balance between foul and penalty for foul? With scores as low as they are and no way to create an artificial test, it's hard to determine. Maybe two different penalty spots, one at the top of the circle outside the box? Maybe force the player who was fouled to take the kick? What about fouls in the back 2/3 of the pitch, where the penalty is only possession? Sometimes that seems too little if there's no card.
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