2. Ability To Dive
The "ability to dive" function was attributed to the "dirty tackle" R1 button, where players could make a sprightly run into the opposition's penalty area before hitting the floor like a sack of potatoes Gareth Bale style under even the slightest on contact. Occasionally in FIFA 2001 the referee would award a freekick (or a penalty in some cases) to a player who had quite obviously collapsed to his knees and flopped onto his stomach despite there not having been any contact by the opposition defender, and again, this was hilarious. I'm going to defend this gameplay feature much in the same way I defended "dirty tackle" - diving does happen in professional football. These days, the FIFA series avoids controversy as much as possible and as such we have an incredibly tame game that is too afraid to touch on the taboo that is diving. By allowing players to dive, however, EA would be making the FIFA franchise just that touch more realistic, and the referee could always book said players if they take to ground too easily...