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Xenophobic Tabloids Need Helping Hand

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TO put it simply, I despise the tabloid press.

I have nothing but disdain for the agendas that they pedal, follow and create and the lives they are willing to ruin for the sale of “a good story.”

They have found Luis Suarez to be “a good story” more or less since the day he arrived at Liverpool, bringing up the World Cup “controversy” when Suarez did what 99.99% of professional footballers would have done in that situation and handled the ball on the line to stop a Ghana goal in the last minute of extra-time.

Followed by controversies over diving, poor tackles, and allegations of racism, Suarez has been a back page regular for the best part of two years.

But the latest incident has just highlighted exactly why the press are bandwagonning against the Uruguayan. Following the very clear handball goal that was given at the FA Cup tie against Mansfield Town, the knives are out again. After a period of relative quiet and goodwill in which Suarez has scored goals a plenty, the parasites in the press have dived in like a Paul Scholes two-footed lunge to capitalise on the latest Suarez saga.

Even the broadsheet press are on the bandwagon, with this gem from a cretin by the name of James Lawton, as reported on L4L here yesterday:

“He looked sheepish enough not to repeat the claim of his fellow South American Diego Maradona that it was the work of God but you didn’t have to be a supporter of Mansfield to believe that he had come off the bench with diabolical intent.”

Of all the sensationalist nonsense written about Suarez in recent months, this one is probably at the top of my list. “Diabolical intent.” So basically, he is accusing Luis Suarez of coming off the bench to deliberately cause trouble to Mansfield.

This is an accusation that the club should be taking the Independent to task for. I’m not one for the Ferguson approach of banning unfriendly journalists, but for me, this imbecile should be banned from the club. That is an absolutely incredible comment to make.

I’d say that I want to know what the club is going to do about it, but our last Director of Communications was too busy chasing off parody Twitter accounts to deal with comments like this.

How can anyone determine that a player is going to go onto a pitch to cause bother?

Simply put, he can’t.

Lawton goes on with his lunacy though:

“Once again, and after one of the most brilliant phases of his extraordinary career, he showed that for some men, however uncomplicated their gifts, doing the right thing, as opposed to simply gaining any kind of advantage, is the most difficult of challenges.”
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Suarez handballed it, no question. From that range at that speed, it’s just a natural reaction. Suarez knew it was handball and booted the ball into the net in frustration.

As the Mansfield manager Paul Cox said:

“For me to come out and say something like that I think would be quite cheap. If it had gone in the other end and one of our players had done it I think we’d have accepted it. This is the FA Cup, this is the beauty of it, sometimes it goes for you, sometimes it doesn’t. It’s a beautiful game and for me he’s a fabulous talent and for this country we’re lucky to have him here. I don’t think we should call him for doing something that I think 99 out of 100 players would do.”

If the press acted with the class and dignity that Paul Cox did then I wouldn’t be sat here venting my spleen.

This has turned into yet another massive witch hunt and it’s gone beyond a joke now. What this Lawton buffoon is asking is for Suarez to disallow his own goal. The referee is the one who needs to take the blame and additionally he is the only one who can disallow the goal, not Suarez.

I eagerly await the next time a blatantly offside goal is given for the guilty party to sprint to the linesman and demand he stick his flag up. The next time you speed in a 30mph zone with no speed cameras or police around, I hope you’re going to turn yourself in at the local nick for your three points and fine.

Gordon Strachan said it best:

“If you park on a double-yellow line and get away with it, you don’t phone up the council and say you owe £85”

But no, we live in an era where only Luis Suarez does anything wrong. The press have dived on this with glee and I genuinely believe that the club need to do something to stop these parasites from writing their bile. How many hacks have called Suarez out for kissing his wrist when THAT IS HIS CELEBRATION?!

Suarez has often spoken that booing motivates him to do well. The merciless and downright xenophobic approach of the newspapers is rallying me even further behind Luis than I ever have been.

But make sure you tune in next time to hear/read Jon Champion, James Lawton et al for the next environmental disaster, political outrage or financial irresponsibility. Because it is, apparently, all Suarez’s fault.
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I'm a fully trained journalist who shunned a career in the profession due to my disillusionment with the tabloid press, instead hoping to become a professional author. I've written for The Liverpool Way for 7 years and am a regular on the forum using the name Agt Provocateur.

A passionate member of supporter group Kop Faithful, I've been a season ticket holder of 8 years and a regular match goer since 1995.

When not criticising diminishing refereeing standards in football, I can be found at Langtree Park, the home of St Helens Rugby League Club being highly critical of non existent standards of refereeing in Rugby League. I'm is also a massive Lancashire and England cricket fan.

17 comments

  • Dale says:

    I’ve sent in a complaint. The site responded with the following.

    “We shall endeavour to respond to your complaint within seven days. If you do not receive a reply within that timeframe please email managingeditor@independent.co.uk.”

    If you feel you need to send in a formal complaint and don’t get an adequate response be sure to follow this up as suggested by their site.

  • Bill says:

    I have just complained via the above link and posted the following

    James Lawton’s outrageous comments about Luis Suarez. I thought Jon Champion’s vitriolic tirade was bad but these comments are highly offensive and I think Mr Lawton should be banned from Anfield at least and sacked preferably.

  • NEIL WILLIAMS says:

    Spot on article! People dribble on about racism and xenophobia, and here we have it being stirred up by these ridiculous articles in the national press by cantankerous clowns like Lawton. He wrote a really annoying article about Dalglish, during his reign that got me so mad. As time goes by I can’t help thinking there is something or someone behind this I really do, for me Suarez was wrongly convicted over the word ‘negrito’, I do think it was definitely an improper term to use in this country. Martin Jol worked with Suarez and knew him well, thought the whole thing was crazy. I think attitudes to Rafa Benitez are sometimes xenophobic, one tabloid article very recently referred to him as ‘the waiter’ an idea based on Manuel from Faulty towers, and the fact that he is not totally fluent in English, the fact that these inflammatory articles are allowed in these PC times seems strange, almost a ‘windup’

  • sabbathi says:

    May GOD always bless u Daniel for standing by the truth. Let them keep bothering themselves with unnecessary issues, its simply because they don’t have anything doing. How about Phil Nevile that stoped a goal bound ball with his hand in a match against liverppol some years back? Wat about Berbatov that dived dubiously in an FA cup game btween Liverpool and Man U dat made Howard Webb to award a dubious penalty just seconds into the game and that happened to be the only goal of that match thus kicking Liverpool out of the FA cup. Was it not after that game Ryan Babbel wore Howard Webb a Man U jersey? What about Tierry Henry’s hand ball in a big world cup qualifier? Its just obvious some journalists are simply looking for cheaper and easy ways to make money without working for it. I can give so many examples, but I have better issues to attend to than to argue with lazy journalists and reporters . Once again thumbs up Daniel for standing for the truth.

  • FAREED RED says:

    Suarez is a LFC player.HE is OUR player and we LOVE him!

    Whether others like him or hate him it’s their headache and we don’t give a damn.
    The PRESS is and has always been * like many hypocrites and psychopaths who are writing Suarez.
    Suarez CHEAT! I challenge all those who are writing against him if they have never cheated in their life—cheated their wife–their girlfriend –their friend or cheated in their job.to get a favor.Be honest and sincerely answer to yourself.

    Suarez is paid to do a job:that is winning matches
    and he is doing it by all means and superbly. YNWA

  • Si75 says:

    Mick Dennis was just as bad today in the express http://www.express.co.uk/ourcomments/view/369362/Mick-Dennis calling him Devious and Deceitful.

  • Si75 says:

    Glad to Jon Champion had to apologise that was appalling too, one other t.v. Moment that wound me up recently was during half time in the stoke game. The presenter on the night asked Jamie Redknapp if he thought Suarez needed to go down for the penalty he won (implying that he could have stayed on his feet) would he ask the same about Ashley young?

    • Lfc4lifer says:

      Yh I remember that.. He’s fool and was anything but impartial.

      He was having his shirt pulled of and while watching it in slow motion he still the audacity to come out with that.

      There’s an agenda alright!

  • yuvank says:

    Would these tabloids give the same treatment if it had bben a british [layer? How much fuss did these tabloids raise when FA appeal the 3 match ban against rooney for kicking the ass of an player with clear intention of not playing the ball but hitting?

  • pj says:

    totally agree with article, I also wrote about the whole reporting issue on my website headed spreading hate

  • ozred says:

    The main concern is the potential this all has for the great man to turn his back on England…

    Let’s look at it:

    Racist comments – The man is quarter black himself. No context and a kangaroo court followed.

    Handshake – Evra clearly held his hand down expecting Suarez to go for him, in the split second that followed Suarez thinks well i’m not going out of my way to shake the hand of a guy that’s wrongly labelled me a racist so move on.

    Diving – Wake up you idiots… This happens all over the field in every game of every week… And how many penalties has he received after going down in the box?

    Handball – non issue. By the way he kicked it into the back of the net, he wasn’t expecting it to be paid. He kisses his wrists because that’s what he does for his daughter…. Get over it.

    Hypocritical parasites that may drive out if not the best, one of the best 3 players in the country.

    • simon says:

      You are right about all except the diving . We all love Suarez but there is no need to be untruthful , its makes you look biased . Suarez was diving ,and diving quite a bit before , its not nice and shouldn’t be excused .

      We are asking for fairness for Suarez ,and rightfully so . We must be fair about the diving too

  • Bill says:

    Another Independent hacker by the name of Mark Steele has taken up the gauntlet from Mr Know it all Lawton and is also attackink Suarez and Liverpool fans.

  • Matt says:

    When people call Saurez a racist, to they have no idea what they are talking about. The word ‘negrito’ is nickname for black people in Uruguay if not most of South America and has no racist meaning what so ever. Obviously living in a western society it sounds racist and with ‘cry baby Evra’ making false accusations at the hearing the FA banned him, wrongfully. I’ve always believed he is innocent and always will, if the FA took both sides and Saurez was not banned then I think the tabloids wouldn’t pick on him as much and it would just be like a Bale or Ronaldo situation.
    I feel for Saurez, he’s been trying so hard to change his image and just get on playing football but he does say critism spurs him on and what better way to get back at the biggest the critics of them all, Manure fans.
    Come on Saurez YNWA.

    • Dave says:

      Lets be honest here . Did you read the whole report ?
      We know Suarez is not a racist , everyone admitted that . but he was trying to wind Evra up by using the color of his skin . Thats not being racist in my opinion ,but it was naughty in this country .

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