WHEN I first heard the verdict from the FA on the Luis Suarez biting incident I must admit I was incandescent with rage.
A 10 game suspension for biting Branislav Ivanovic particularly when the offence of violent conduct is a three match ban, so not double or treble the punishment, seemingly one of the most despicable acts ever – according to the FA’s punishment.
Many have compared other notable episodes of wrong-doing on the football field and rightly they have concluded that Suarez has indeed in comparison, been treated harshly. Suarez himself would only receive a ban of 8 games when found guilty of racially abusing Patrice Evra – by defining ‘biting’ a far worse act than racism, surely the powers and suits at the FA have only compounded the perception the public has of this outdated and out of touch archaic institution.
Once again this organisation has sanctimoniously stumbled as if inebriated on its own inconsistency, whilst seemingly unable to preside upon its own rules and regulations. Even before Suarez has had the opportunity to belatedly offer some presumably lost in translation excuse for his behaviour, before he had thrown himself at the mercy of his accuses, the verdict was out. Interestingly Suarez behaviour would be likened to a small child in a playground – the FA however has mirrored such behaviour: It’s my rules, my game and my ball.
So my rage is with the Football Association and their ineptitude – their attempts to contemporize football without the changing, can only be interpreted as complete failure. A modification of white men in grey suits, now morphed into snowy silvery men in taupe suits.
Luis Suarez is 26 years old, having joined Liverpool in January 2011 at a time when he was serving a similar ban for the crime of…biting an opponent, and since that time Suarez has never been red carded. However, he has already been banned for 11 games in that small space of time. If this current ban is upheld this will mean that Suarez will have missed 21 games through bans. Totally unacceptable Luis.
The question of whether this current sanction upon Suarez is right or wrong kind of pales into insignificance when you look at his overall disciplinary record. Some of the quite obvious anger we have for The FA should also be directed at, not just Suarez, but the club itself. Liverpool have had ample opportunity to “deal” with Suarez, instead seemingly waiting until the horse had well and truly bolted before any attempt to contain was made.
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Support Suarez as much as you want, and I have. What we cannot persist in doing in the face of such obvious facts is defend the indefensible. Petulance can’t continue to be ignored; a quarrelsome tantrum-throwing grown man cannot be excused any longer. Luis Suarez has let himself down, but more so he has continued to let both teammates and fans down – for me this is that line in the sand.
We seem to find ourselves with only two emotions as regard Luis Suarez: Love, or mostly, rage.
We love Suarez but rage against almost everyone who dares to criticise our number 7 – referees, Man United fans, TV pundits, fellow managers, Evra, Ivanovic, little old ladies, it goes on and on as unrelenting, our anger spills over. At the centre of this foreign universe full of our indignation lies the enigma that would be Luis Suarez.
In respect the biting incident has only added to some of the unsightly aspects of the genius footballers behavioural misdemeanours. Our own footballing bias having seen us constantly having to support issues that if others were guilty of committing, we would jump up and down demanding footballing justice, imprisonment and death.
I feel rather saddened the way Liverpool supporters have found themselves acting lately, as belligerently we shout and scream with anger toward those we would have happily laughed with and toward. A humour lobotomy seems to have taken place as we constantly find ourselves on the back foot with a perverse protectionism having replaced our honourable socialisms.
The rage that the image of Evra biting a dismembered arm received was as good an example as I can find: we laughed at Robbie Fowler sniffing the white line, the Suarez dive at the feet of Moyes – have we really lost our perspective our humour and replaced it with moral outrage.
It started with Rafa Benitez and now misguidedly replicated with Suarez in as opposing scenarios as are possible. Where Benitez would fight Allardyce and Ferguson alongside the Yanks and of course the Football Association – Suarez is fighting with himself against self-persecution and a perceived prejudice. He finds himself aided by fans also intent on disingenuously supporting his corner.
I genuinely hope the 10 game ban is reduced to what should be a fairer more inline punishment for such a stupidly comical crime, but I also hope to see Luis stop throwing his arms in the air after every occasion he finds himself challenged or when losing control of the ball. We all have to open our eyes to what we truly want from our heroes, what our expectations are, our honest assessment of footballers must return to Anfield and the Kop starting with our own men in red and one in particular in the number 7 shirt.
After all we are Liverpool.
You can find me on Twitter https://twitter.com/christobinsings
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the ban should be reduced
Next time when luis gets angry he should just go in two footed tackle and break the opponents leg. That way at least he will only receive 3 game ban and in Aguero case NOTHING !!!
why are you sticking up for suarez. he has form.so the penalty will reflect this . What he did deserves more than a 10 match ban . He is like el had diouf and Liverpool fans would of been happy if he never played football again.
The writer of this piece is confused. He obviously doesnt respect Rafa Benitez. Which side are you on actually?
Silly article. Suarez digs in , and fights 100% every minute for the Liverpool cause
He is a winner , someone who hates losing – yes he sometimes oversteps the line but at least he tries his best
Now look at the likes of Joe Allen and Fabio Borini or shelvey or sturridge- these pansies DONT give 100% in a Liverpool shirt- these are the players we should be slagging , not Suarez
30 goals a season plus a few naught bits thrown in
OR
Fabio Borini ???
I know which I’d rather have
And so what he has missed 21 games . He has given more and achieved more than any other player
Where would we be without Suarez ?
Obviously when u support a team or whatsoever,their must be some sentiments attached,,as a Liver pool fan i must condemn what our suarez did,,and support him real well against FA’s jugdement..what i dont understand is how FA, reacts and treats issues involving LFC,..PM cameroon involving himself into this,is it also love 4the law?FA should stop disgracing themselves with indeccision,inconsistency and sentiments..then word to our no 7,he should accept whatsoever punishment giving to him,coz turning the table round he deserves it,,in as much as he has become our heroe of late,let him stop letting us down…
I was reading an article today and it said “Suarez’s vicious attack on Chelsea player.
Merseyside police found no marks on him. Has the world gone mad?
How weak have we become in the last few years, when a little nip or word can make the front pages and have all the country outraged?
Fair enough, the lad is a bit nutty and needs to grow up,but he hardly tore a chunk out of someone. 5 games would have been enough.
I would use the ban to give Sturridge, Sterling and maybe even Ibe a run out. The speed of those 3 would worry defences.
This is the so called independent justice where the ‘court’ says 3 games is insufficient b4 is passed on …. 99.5 % conviction rate.
My issue is, what are the rules? I speed, get 3 points.
You break someone’s leg, if the ref sees it, you are fine. It is bonkers the way is argued. If the rules were, bite someone (no excuse), get 50 games, or 100 is fine but the rules are made as we go along. That is not fair
YNWA
let’s concentrate on the football guys , manure have won thier 20th title ..dortmund have thrashed real madrid ..(few years back it was us).. we should be be more concerned about the next transfer window ..i hope the owners spend big and WISELY.lets move on from this suarez incident..but give him the maximum support as LFC is a family..YNWA
Lets move on from Suarez .lets concentrate on what really mattersnow , and that is getting in a proper manager or our future is screwed
Go away manure fan!
Why don’t we “ban” every animal that bites —minor or fatal ???
The 10 matches ban imposed on Luis Suarez is definitely not acceptable. The English is absolutely being one-sided in their decision. WAKE UP “FA” !!!
The length of the ban is fair. It was a disgusting and idiotic thing to do and he’s been correctly punished. He’s a disgrace for the greatest club in England. I mean look at things he’s done! Biting players twice, using racist language, constant diving and, for me, the most disgraceful thing in football – scoring with his hand. He has no right to complain as he has masterminded it all by himself.
Rodgers is paranoid defending him. “He grew up in Uruguay and had to fight for his life” – utter nonsense used of an excuse, all Rodgers’s capable of, really.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of Luis, for me he’s been the only difference between top-half and relegation scrap this season under abysmal manager. But he’s done one too many things to disgrace the club. He and BR should be get rid of as soon as possible as Suarez brings more trouble than good to the table and BR is just a clown and a joke of a manager, who’s managed to ruin the club even further.
P.S. For me, biting or spitting is worse than leg-break or even racism. Leg-breaking challenge is dangerous, but biting is just a disgusting moronic thing to do.