Time-wasting, tactical fouls, feigned injuries and the long walk off when substituted: the dark arts are the parts of football that win games and are not in the coaching manual. Praised when your team does them and condemned when the other team does. Atlético Madrid and Diego Simeone are the reference point.
My first exposure was Simeone's Atlético against Real Madrid in the 2014 final. Every free kick took a minute. I thought it was cynical. Now I think it was the point.
Seen last night: a 1-0 away win in Europe, the goalkeeper down three times in the last ten minutes, and the timeline split exactly in half between 'dark arts masterclass' and 'disgrace'.
The phrase is a licence. Call it cheating and you sound naive; call it the dark arts and you sound like you understand the game. The same tactical foul is one or the other depending on the shirt.
What does it mean? Write it the way you would say it out loud.
