Leverkusen beat Bayern on the strength of two penalties this weekend.

The interesting part is that, on both penalties, the ref had initially signaled no penalty, and awarded a yellow card to the attacker for simulation.

Both times, after review, he awarded the penalty and rescinded the yellow.

I've never seen that before, but I absolutely love how quick he was to show a yellow for diving.

https://www.espn.com/soccer/report/_/gameId/638655

It's good that VAR overturned, but it sounds like the ref was trying real hard to bail out Bayern and just whiffed.

But I agree with your premise… I wish there were more cards for simulation (and then let VAR sort it out).

Ghost of Andrew Eaton said:

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And I wish cards could be given to players after the game for simulation or any other serious fouls.

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I know that MLS does review games and has issued fines for players that simulate fouls. If the same player is caught multiple times, it can lead to a suspension. Here's an example from last season:

https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/cf-montreal-midfielder-matko-miljevic-suspended-by-mls-disciplinary-committee