Luis Suarez: a ‘handy’ player
Roar Guru 
Luis Suarez sent off during the World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between Uruguay and Ghana at Soccer City in Johannesburg, South Africa, Friday, July 2, 2010. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
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It’s the perfect footballing enigma: a brilliant player who resorts to cheating when he doesn’t need to.
And Luis Suarez is a brilliant footballer. The Uruguayan is a pure goal scoring machine, who has just about every tool a top quality striker needs.
He can score with both feet and his head, has great speed, movement off the ball and in link-up play, and his finishing record is outstanding – 30 goals in 64 games for Liverpool, an impressive 81 in 110 appearances for Ajax before that and a phenomenal 30 goals in 60 internationals for Uruguay.
The man always finds a path to goal.
So why does the Red’s No 7 attract controversy like Silvio Berlusconi? Why is his rap sheet like football’s version of Chopper Read?
Suarez’s latest indiscretion, a handball-assisted winner against minnows Mansfield in the FA Cup, is the just the latest (see the video below).
The 25-year old has had many controversies, including: head-butting a referee at 15, picking up a ton of yellow and red cards in both Holland and England, a half-time altercation with Ajax teammate Albert Luque which resulted in suspension, punching the ball at the 2010 World Cup which knocked out Ghana from the competition, biting (yes biting) a PSV player in 2010, racially abusing Manchester United’s Patrice Evra in 2011, then avoiding shaking Evra’s hand, being accused of simulation numerous times, giving the finger to Fulham fans in December 2011.
Suarez is the ultimate player who will do anything for his team, anything for a goal or to help his side win. For that reason he is loved by his club’s supporters, and teammates, and despised by most others.
Bending, and indeed, breaking the rules and the subsequent consequences in this single-minded pursuit seems of little concern to him.
You would have to gather that this is a side-effect of his tough upbringing in Uruguay. Suarez learned to play football on the streets, is one of seven children and was raised by his single mother. Poverty has understandably given him a different outlook.
According to one story, he was invited to a youth national team training camp but couldn’t attend as he couldn’t afford football boots.
The forward from Salto has had to claw and fight his way to the top of world football. The ‘do whatever it takes’ mentality is all he knows.
But enough is enough. It’s time somebody pulled him aside and said that these kinds of antics – deliberate hand-balls, biting, diving, committing dangerous fouls and the rest – is not on.
The sad fact is that Liverpool won’t discipline him, they continue to cajole and support him. In one way it’s not surprising. Without Suarez, Liverpool would be stuffed.
He is their star player and if you take out his goals and all-round impact, they are an average team and would probably be hovering around the relegation zone, not sitting in eighth place on the table. For that reason Suarez can get away with anything.
The Uruguayan will eventually leave Merseyside for greener pastures but until then the Reds sit in fear of alienating him, so he gets a free pass.
The even sadder fact that is Suarez doesn’t need to resort to these tactics. He is one of the best players in the world. He has dominated Dutch football, set alight the English Premier League, helped Uruguay win the Copa America and starred at a FIFA World Cup.
At 25 he has a long career ahead of him and potentially a lot of success. But his pantomime villain act only hurts him and the side he plays for.
Follow John on Twitter @johnnyddavidson
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January 8th 2013 @ 8:55am
Bondy. said | January 8th 2013 @ 8:55am | Report comment
I love players like Suarez and Tevez real grubs of the trade although dynamically great, football needs more people like Suarez and Tevez to deliver all the meaty issues to the sport
I dont condone cheating John nobody can afford to these days, but gee who would you prefer to be entertained by Luis Suarez or Micheal Clarke on all fronts even verbally, I thought so.
January 8th 2013 @ 12:06pm
langou said | January 8th 2013 @ 12:06pm | Report comment
Sorry Bondy,
Just to clarify your question is
Would we rather be entertained verbally by Michael Clarke or Luis Suarez?
January 8th 2013 @ 2:29pm
Kasey said | January 8th 2013 @ 2:29pm | Report comment
I think and this is just me of course I would probably enjoy being entertained by Pup over Suarez – what with me not speaking very much Spanish:)
January 8th 2013 @ 3:40pm
langou said | January 8th 2013 @ 3:40pm | Report comment
I would also go with Pup unless Suarez was able to enterain us with some spanish flamenco style singing.
January 8th 2013 @ 9:16am
Cammo said | January 8th 2013 @ 9:16am | Report comment
I really think this Suarez hounding is going too far.
I don’t really see what he could have done differently against Mansfield. It’s arguable but my reading of his arm movement was that he was trying to pull it away – his arm finishes behind his back. That is not the typically way you punch the ball!
I’d love it if he would inform the ref that he handballed it but what professional sportsmen in any sport in the world nowadays would do that?
He has done many things in the past to get absolutely hammered about but this handball is a non-event and it is more illuminating looking at who jumps on the bandwagon than what they have to say.
January 8th 2013 @ 11:09am
Kasey said | January 8th 2013 @ 11:09am | Report comment
I made up my mind on Suarez after SA2010(the Ghana incident). Yes he IS supremely talented but he is a complete c*nt of a person. Just because you are a talented sportsperson does not give you a free pass to be that way as a human being. The Karma bus is coming hard for LS and when it hits it is going to make one hell of a mess. I just hope I’m still around to see it. It’s a pity because I used to really respect Uruguayan football especially what they’ve achieved as a ‘smaller’ football nation – the Dutch could learn something about maximising talent by population! But their behaviour prior to the WCQ in 2005 really soured my impression of them as a nation. I proudly admit to booing their National Anthem at the Stade de Oz that night. I think it put the fear of God into them as they realised they were coming up against a Nation that wasn’t going to tolerate being unfairly treated on the international football stage anymore.
As for saying that he is not required to own up: that’s BS…below is how a real sportsman ‘handles’ (sic:( ) the situation.
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/klose-owns-handball-goal-serie-match-091842496.html
January 8th 2013 @ 11:19am
Bondy. said | January 8th 2013 @ 11:19am | Report comment
Kasey,
I remember the one against Ghana not a bad gloveman too aparently.
January 9th 2013 @ 3:02pm
David Heidelberg said | January 9th 2013 @ 3:02pm | Report comment
The “save” wasn’t as bad as his celebration when Ghana missed the penalty.
January 8th 2013 @ 11:34am
GrantOz said | January 8th 2013 @ 11:34am | Report comment
You actually booed a national anthem based on some sporting-related trifles? Worst is that you are proud of doing so.
January 8th 2013 @ 11:48am
Brick Tamlin of the Pants Party said | January 8th 2013 @ 11:48am | Report comment
Yes disgraceful,we should have gone down the airport and spat on their players instead.
January 8th 2013 @ 11:51am
Kasey said | January 8th 2013 @ 11:51am | Report comment
Or repeatedly attempted to change the kick off time of the game to screw with their transport/recovery plans.
That came from the AUF, so can’t be swept under the carpet of a few rogue passionate fans just going OTT.
That instance is the only time in my 20+yrs of being a football fan where FIFAs actions have supported this country. (When they told URU to stop screwing with the kick-off time that is).
January 8th 2013 @ 2:26pm
Ballymore said | January 8th 2013 @ 2:26pm | Report comment
I’m more a blaring my car horn outside their hotel man myself.
January 8th 2013 @ 12:04pm
langou said | January 8th 2013 @ 12:04pm | Report comment
I can remember sitting at the stadium before kick-off and saying to my mate that I hoped we didn’t boo their anthem but it was kind of invevitable the way we were treated in the lead up. I wanted us to be the ‘bigger man’ in this situation but unfortuantly it didn’t happen.
January 8th 2013 @ 12:09pm
Kasey said | January 8th 2013 @ 12:09pm | Report comment
Too often Australia has tried to be the bigger man in world footbal only to be taught the cruel reality that the vast majority of the globe does not subscribe to the corinthian ideal espoused by the saying “its just not cricket” I felt on that night it was about developing the spine to say ” No More!” will we be treated like global football’s red-headed stepchild, luckily we played well that night and deservedly got through to Germany 06. A lot of respect for our nation was gained that night, only a few navel gazing half wits in the media failed to see that. I distinctly remember at least one article barely even referencing the game just focusing on the booing:(
January 8th 2013 @ 12:35pm
Brick Tamlin of the Pants Party said | January 8th 2013 @ 12:35pm | Report comment
I recall Aloisi saying how the Uruguayans were saying to the Aussies in the tunnel how they were going to shrink in front of their home fans from pressure,i think the supporters played a huge part in getting us to Germany.Sometimes you have to fight fire with fire and Uruguay got burnt that night.
January 8th 2013 @ 12:46pm
nickoldschool said | January 8th 2013 @ 12:46pm | Report comment
+1
Spot on Kasey. I think Australia as a nation and Aussie football supporters decided to ‘be part of the world ‘ after this night and react to verbal and physical abuse. It’s all about respect: you have to make yourself respected on and off the field.
I see that some Roarers still live in their parallel world where everyone says g’day mate to theor neighbours and no worries when they are spat at. Well guess what, many other nations/players do not behave like this and if you just cope abuse without retaliating its never going to end. As a neo Aussie, I am proud that we are finally changing and growing up.
January 8th 2013 @ 12:54pm
Kasey said | January 8th 2013 @ 12:54pm | Report comment
URU acted like a (football) bully in that series and the only thing a bully respects is force. We didn’t turn the other cheek; we came out and fought like tyros to get our nation into the World Cup. The crowd played their part. That is what I am most proud of.
January 8th 2013 @ 1:09pm
Brick Tamlin of the Pants Party said | January 8th 2013 @ 1:09pm | Report comment
Interestingly we played them in a friendly after the World Cup and there was no booing of the anthem,i don’t recall them be as mouthy before kick off either.
January 8th 2013 @ 1:34pm
langou said | January 8th 2013 @ 1:34pm | Report comment
“see that some Roarers still live in their parallel world where everyone says g’day mate to theor neighbours and no worries when they are spat at” – Nickoldschool
Maybe we are just dreamers…
“Mankind must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation” – Martin Luther King
“Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much” – Oscar Wilde
January 8th 2013 @ 1:47pm
nickoldschool said | January 8th 2013 @ 1:47pm | Report comment
@ langou, I don’t blame you and it’s something that I like a lot about being an Aussie. I come from a country which doesn’t respect this type of nice, kind ppl much, that’s why I decided to move to Oz a decade ago. Yet, I think we can be fairer, kinder etc, without being abused or taken advantage off too often. I actually think many Aussies can be pretty ruthless in business, towards immigrants etc, but remain fairly ‘naive’ if I may say in other circumstances.
Am not that different o you, I wish we were living in a better world but unfortunately there are too many Armstrongs, Suarez or badly behaved supporters to just accept that and turn the other cheek.
January 8th 2013 @ 2:21pm
Kasey said | January 8th 2013 @ 2:21pm | Report comment
Please don’t misinterpret my feelings towards URU(the country). I still have respect for them as a footballing nation[ http://www.soundsandcolours.com/articles/uruguay/uruguay-the-most-successful-country-in-the-world-at-football/
We must remember that their culture is completely different to ours, not better. N worse, just different.
Football is frequently a reflection of the culture that plays it(the samba style of Brazil,. The more workmanlike English and Scots, the tough and hard as nails but determined Australians etc) but the shadow of poor sportsmanship will always hover over la celeste for me. That’s just the way it is always going to be for me. I still believe that its not if you win or lose but how you play the game. The Dutch destroyed 30 years of beautiful(but losing) football tradition by trying to kick the crap out of Spain in the 2010WC final….that was disappointing to see.
I have hope that as we increase the number of indigenous players of football we might find ‘our’ nations footballing voice/style. I have often been left speechless by the feets of indigenous Australians in not only football but our other sporting passions.
January 8th 2013 @ 11:37am
Cammo said | January 8th 2013 @ 11:37am | Report comment
“As for saying that he is not required to own up: that’s BS”
What I said was that it would be wrong to expect him to be honest when hardly anyone ever is. Highlighting Klose’s honesty only serves to show how rare it is. Apart from Klose, the only other examples of honesty at the expense of a goal I can recall in 20 years of following football is Robbie Fowler against Arsenal telling the ref that he wasn’t fouled for a penalty. He still had to take the penalty. Also Di Canio caught the ball instead of scoring when Richard Wright(?) went down injured during an EPL game. ‘Real sportsmen’ appear to be exception and not the rule.
The argument of whether he *should* own up or not i don’t want to get into.
Yes, his handball against Ghana made me furious too, only equal to Henry’s handball against the Irish. Ghana were denied an outright goal and that incident built the case for a penalty goal in my book. Suarez also got 10 games for biting and then racially taunted Evra. His conduct and Liverpool’s were appalling around these incidents.
But all of these incidents have nothing to do with this handball.
As much as people want it to be the deliberate handball of a devil in human form, it wasn’t. It was accidental and the officials cocked up.
Just hold your breath, I’m sure Suarez will do something again soon to make you spit out your mouthful of tea in outrage.
January 8th 2013 @ 12:57pm
Striker1 said | January 8th 2013 @ 12:57pm | Report comment
Kasey, I totally disagree with your opinion of Suarez as a person but most of all of Uruguaya as a nation. You ‘re proud because you were part of the many ignorant bogans that jumped on the wagon to abuse and boo their national anthem just because the aussie press labelled uruguayans as grubs and cheats due to the actions of ten idiots out of 3 million people.Ten idiots that were held up by the police and jailed for what they did. Do you really believe that the booing was the reason why Australia qualified to the 2006 WC? Do you really think that you put the fear of god into a nation that has won 2 olympics,2 world cups (one of them in front of 200,000 Brazilians),15 Copa Americas,etc,etc? Kasey,please. Hate Suarez if you want but do not label a nation due to a minority as I don’t label 22 million aussies for the actions of those present at Allianz stadium.
January 8th 2013 @ 2:06pm
Kasey said | January 8th 2013 @ 2:06pm | Report comment
Striker:
Maybe we didn’t get inside the URU players heads but the Socceroos!
Perhaps our boys lifted just that 2% more because they felt not the pressure of 32 yrs of failure weighing them down but the support of 82,000 fans roaring like mad for them to succeed:)
January 8th 2013 @ 2:33pm
Kasey said | January 8th 2013 @ 2:33pm | Report comment
PS: Please don’t call me an ignorant bogan….I’ve been a football fan most of my Adult life. My knowledge on the world game is not exhaustive but it covers more than just watching the EPL highlights show on a Monday night and looking up the crowd figures of the A-League :0
January 8th 2013 @ 3:55pm
Brick Tamlin of the Pants Party said | January 8th 2013 @ 3:55pm | Report comment
Sorry Striker1 the crowd at the stadium that night were far from ignorant,they were fed up with dirty,grubby tricks the Uruguayan FA was trying to pull behind the scenes,never mind the disgaceful actions of a small band of supporters.Perhaps your the ignorant one for suggesting Australian football fans don’t know Uruguay’s standing on the world footballing stage.
January 8th 2013 @ 5:30pm
kopite said | January 8th 2013 @ 5:30pm | Report comment
So you made your mind up about Suarez after the Ghana incident, hey? Here’s a hypothetical for you. (May not be too far-fetched, either).
Fast forward to June 18, 2013 Stadium Australia Socceroos v Iraq World Cup Qualifier. The Socceroos only need a draw to qualify for Brazil 2014 but a stubborn Iraq are holding them to 0-0. In the dying seconds of injury time Iraq get a corner and a header beats Schwarzer and is goal-bound until captain Lucas Neill tips it over the bar with his right hand. Neill, rightly, is sent off, but the Iraqi player bottles it and Schwarzer saves the pen. The ref immediately blows full-time and the Socceroos are through to their 3rd successive World Cup Finals.
Would you a) say “Bloody marvellous, where do I get my tickets for Brazil?” or b) say “That Lucas Neill is a right c*nt to deny those plucky Iraqis their rightful place at the World Cup Finals. I’m not going to support the Socceroos anymore”?
January 8th 2013 @ 6:33pm
Roger said | January 8th 2013 @ 6:33pm | Report comment
Is say “geez that puts a downer on qualifying. I thought we were good enough to qualify without cheating”
January 8th 2013 @ 6:34pm
Roger said | January 8th 2013 @ 6:34pm | Report comment
*I’d
January 8th 2013 @ 10:09pm
kopite said | January 8th 2013 @ 10:09pm | Report comment
But you would have been wrong!
January 9th 2013 @ 10:33am
Roger said | January 9th 2013 @ 10:33am | Report comment
I’m sorry kopite, what you just said doesn’t really make sense.
January 9th 2013 @ 10:39am
Kasey said | January 9th 2013 @ 10:39am | Report comment
I’d be in a similar boat to you Roger. Then I’d be thinking of the damage Luca$h’s actions would do to football. We are already seen as a sport filled with divers and cheats. The last thing we need to do is re-inforce those stereotypes:(
If we qualified by ‘cheating’ the whole thing would be tainted for me.
January 9th 2013 @ 2:54pm
kopite said | January 9th 2013 @ 2:54pm | Report comment
What I meant Roger was that if Neill didn’t handle it, therefore the Iraqi header ends up in the net and the Socceroos lose 1-0. They would thus have been eliminated and therefore obviously not good enough to qualify.
All hypothetical I know but I’m surprised that you and Kasey would rather miss out on a World Cup than qualify by doing something that has been done, and will be done again hundreds of times.
I should tell you (humbly!!) that I’ve played and coached professionally in 3 countries and I can’t think of, or imagine, any player I’ve known who wouldn’t do the same as Suarez (or Neill in the hypothetical) if they were in the same position.
Don’t let the anti-football brigade get to you, there are plenty of cheats in their favourite codes too!
January 9th 2013 @ 5:35pm
kopite said | January 9th 2013 @ 5:35pm | Report comment
Anyone else remember this? October 27, 2006 Energy Australia Stadium, Newcastle…..
Newcastle Jets 2 Adelaide United 1
Newcastle Jets midfielder Nick Carle scored a wonder goal in the 89th minute to hand his side a stunning 2-1 victory over Adelaide United at EnergyAustralia Stadium on Friday night.
Carle ran from inside his own half, weaved through the opposition defence and then unleashed a swerving shot with the outside of his left boot that found the top left corner of the net.
A minute earlier, Adelaide veteran striker Carl Veart shot over the bar from a penalty attempt.
Referee Matthew Breeze awarded the spot-kick and sent off Jade North after the defender stopped a Sheng qing Qu header on the goal line with his hand.
Jets coach Gary van Egmond said North’s handball and subsequent send-off gave his side a chance. “When you get to that level and to those certain times, it’s a game of inches. That was a moment where he (North) made a decision and it proves to be a right decision.”
Discuss!!!!
January 8th 2013 @ 9:23am
Theworldofando said | January 8th 2013 @ 9:23am | Report comment
Watch the replay again and tell me that it was a deliberate handball. There is absolutely no way that you can expect a striker to be able to move his hand, to or away frmo the ball, when it deflects off the keeper who is only a couple of metres away from him.
Most non-biased pundits agree it wasn’t intentional, and read the response by the Mansfield manager for a fair response by the opposition!
Alsp I think this article addresses it the best – Mansfield vs. Liverpool: Officials Miss Call, Luis Suarez Gets Blame
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1472793-mansfield-vs-liverpool-officials-miss-call-luis-suarez-gets-blame
Lastly, why are we blaming Suarez for a handball when there were two officials who should have seen it? He played the whistle, it was their job to pick up an infraction.
January 8th 2013 @ 12:12pm
langou said | January 8th 2013 @ 12:12pm | Report comment
The handball rule is often misunderstood because like you said it does have to be intentional.That one could have gone either way.
If it was anyone other than Suarez, not much would have been much made of it. In saying that maybe if Suarez wasn’t such a d…head he wouldn’t find himself coping so much flak.
January 8th 2013 @ 10:03am
Robert said | January 8th 2013 @ 10:03am | Report comment
Costing Ghana in the world cup is a crock.Ghana got a penalty and Suarez was sent off.Not his fault they couldn’t slot the penalty.
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January 8th 2013 @ 11:26am
cliffclavin said | January 8th 2013 @ 11:26am | Report comment
I agree
I thought what he did at the world cup was brilliant. It was a risk, but he took a gamble and the Uru’s moved on to next phase. Perhaps if harry did the same instead of going halfway ….
I like his antics in terms of pushing the envelope – just not his racism issue which will always sour my view of him
January 8th 2013 @ 5:00pm
surfbushido said | January 8th 2013 @ 5:00pm | Report comment
Not to mention, of course, that Ghana made 3 (yes three) offside passes in the lead up to the shot that Suarez saved.
It’s funny how no-one mentions that fact when they talk about Suarez “the Grub”.
January 8th 2013 @ 10:08am
Fussball ist unser leben said | January 8th 2013 @ 10:08am | Report comment
I’m sure people will get sanctimonious about Luis Suarez’s actions in not owning up to a handball.
To those people I ask: when you are in your car and exceed the speed limit, but avoid detection, do you immediately go to the nearest police station with your credit card to pay the fine that went unpunished?
Former champion, who played for Aberdeen, ManUnited & Leeds, Gordon Strachan summed it up beautifully:
“If you park on a double yellow line and get away with it, you don’t phone up the council & say you owe £85.”
Full credit to Mansfield Town’s manager, Paul Cox who refused to criticise Luis Suarez. Cox admitted he & his team would happily accept the same goal if it occurred in their favour.
January 8th 2013 @ 10:40am
Ben of Phnom Penh said | January 8th 2013 @ 10:40am | Report comment
Part of the reason it happens is because for this particular player it happens with monotonous regularity. This particular incident I believe was accidental, however all his actions will be judged by the public against a laundry list of cheating in his immediate past.
His on-field persona is that of a hugely talented cheating prat; a persona that will draw flak from the footballing public.
January 8th 2013 @ 5:01pm
surfbushido said | January 8th 2013 @ 5:01pm | Report comment
Any chance of that laudry list of cheating please?
Thought not… Jog on!
January 8th 2013 @ 6:01pm
Ben of Phnom Penh said | January 8th 2013 @ 6:01pm | Report comment
Spoken like a true Liverpool fan
January 8th 2013 @ 7:04pm
Ben of Phnom Penh said | January 8th 2013 @ 7:04pm | Report comment
Just had a gander and it turns out Suarez is equal 1st in the card count for the entire EPL along with two defenders and a defensive midfielder. None of this includes unpunished diving incidents such as the one against Stoke which even the FIFA Vice-President felt the need to comment on or the behavioural & racism issues.
Which way are we jogging incidentally?
January 8th 2013 @ 10:23am
nickoldschool said | January 8th 2013 @ 10:23am | Report comment
I don’t think it’s so much the handball that infuriated many, me included, but rather the way he celebrated the goal. I think it was embarrassing at best. I saw this as a way of bragging about scoring a goal with the hand and taunting Mansfield supporters ” look at me, i didnt get caught you effing whatever”.
No doubt Suarez is a great footballer but he has shown his true colours in few too many occasions IMO.
January 8th 2013 @ 10:35am
Wanderer said | January 8th 2013 @ 10:35am | Report comment
If you knew anything about Suarez, let alone the actual game, he always celebrates like that. His kids name is tatted on his wrist and he kisses his ring finger for his wife. Also, he celebrated in front of the Liverpool away fans.
Storm in a bloody teacup
January 8th 2013 @ 10:42am
nickoldschool said | January 8th 2013 @ 10:42am | Report comment
You don’t get the point do you. To celebrate this way whenever he scores is one thing, to do it after he scored with the hand is another one. It’s called discernment.
January 8th 2013 @ 11:38am
GrantOz said | January 8th 2013 @ 11:38am | Report comment
Did you even read the reply properly? He said he does it after every goal. EVERY goal. It’s a dedication to his family, the intent is not to anger anyone at all.
January 8th 2013 @ 11:56am
nickoldschool said | January 8th 2013 @ 11:56am | Report comment
Have you heard about exceptions to the rule? That he does it in EVERY circumstances is the problem IMO.
January 8th 2013 @ 10:36am
Fussball ist unser leben said | January 8th 2013 @ 10:36am | Report comment
Suarez sometimes kisses his wrist after a goal; sometimes kisses his ring finger.
Pretty sure Suarez has his daughter’s name tattooed on his wrist. A kiss on the ring finger for his wife and a kiss on the wrist for his daughter.
January 8th 2013 @ 11:13am
adz said | January 8th 2013 @ 11:13am | Report comment
not intentional????? you’ve got to be kidding me.. its not as if the ball was rocketing back at him – and you’re talking about an elite athlete whose reflexes and instincts are greater then you’re average bum walking down the street..
as for looking at the replay to try and prove his innocence, it actually looked worse when i watched i back? his hand literally strikes the ball – its not as if the ball deflected off the keeper back to him at rapid rates, it was just hovering..
it doesn’t matter now, whats done is done, mansfield miss their shot due to a cheat and liverpool continue on to the next round as most would have predicted anyway…
January 8th 2013 @ 11:45am
Colin N said | January 8th 2013 @ 11:45am | Report comment
I don’t believe it was intentional and I very much wanted Mansfield to win that tie – it would have been great to see three non-league teams in the fourth round.
I think the blame lies solely with the assistant referee who should have called it. The referee’s view was blocked, but I think the linesman had a clear view and failed to put his flag up.
The funniest thing for me was that there was very little reaction from the Liverpool fans almost expecting a foul to be called.
January 8th 2013 @ 12:42pm
Michael said | January 8th 2013 @ 12:42pm | Report comment
He is a cheating vile rat faced ass. One day he will get his.
January 8th 2013 @ 2:05pm
kopite said | January 8th 2013 @ 2:05pm | Report comment
And you are obviously intelligent, very good looking and have never done anything wrong in your life. Perhaps you’ll get yours as well for writing tripe like this.
January 8th 2013 @ 5:50pm
Cammo said | January 8th 2013 @ 5:50pm | Report comment
The prominence of Suarez’s physical appearance in that insult (‘rat faced’) unfortunately highlights that Michael thinks he looks different.
It is this facet of Suarez (that he is a foreigner) that i think drives a lot of this hatred more than is logically explainable especially in the British media.
January 8th 2013 @ 7:09pm
Michael said | January 8th 2013 @ 7:09pm | Report comment
I never said anything about my looks, I never said anything about my intelligence, and I never said that I have never done anything wrong in my life. I do know however that when I played football I didn’t cheat the way he does every time he is on the football field.
You can tell a lot by a person the way they conduct themselves on the football field, he is a cheat of the highest order.
January 9th 2013 @ 2:59pm
kopite said | January 9th 2013 @ 2:59pm | Report comment
So a person who is prepared to call another a “vile rat-faced ass” and hopes ill befalls him, hasn’t ever tripped an opponent, pulled a shirt, or even disputed a refereeing decision?
Why do I find that hard to believe?
January 8th 2013 @ 1:34pm
Johnno said | January 8th 2013 @ 1:34pm | Report comment
Reality is Suarez if he is or isn’t cheating, it doesn’t matter he is getting punished.
He knows the laws of the game, and he is saying if i cheat are you going to punish me, and the refs do. So he is fine.
And c’mon, in a world cup quarter final in exactly the same situation 99.9% of players would of done what Suarez did in the quarter final, and take the hand ball.
He was punished , he was red carded and suspended for 1 match,. And Ghana got the penalty, it was Ghana’s fault the bloke who took the penalty, he wasn’t mentally strong enough in that moment to convert the penalty on full time, so don’t blame Suarez there.
If the refs are weak and don’t penalise foul play, then that is letting cheating behaviour win.
But Suarez did get penalised and punished for his hand ball, that gave Uruguay a faint hope of making the semi finals which they did.
Blame the Ghana bloke who took the penalty for not being mentally strong enough to convert his opportunity to send Ghana into the semi finals.
Where it annoys me is when an incident like the Therry Henry one, vs Irleand went unpunished that was appalling but once again blame the ref who doesn’t see these things.
So Suarez has done nothing wrong, it’s the ref’s fault if they miss incidents, and Suarez did get punished in that world cup quarter final game, it was the Ghana players fault who missed the penalty.
January 8th 2013 @ 3:36pm
FJI said | January 8th 2013 @ 3:36pm | Report comment
Well done John. Well done on toeing the party line and finding another (ridiculous) reason to crucify Suarez. If this was any other player (let’s say Wayne Rooney) there wouldn’t be any near the sanctimonious uproar over what was a nothing incident.
Let’s look at the facts shall we.
Firstly, the referee and his assistant (as well as the fourth official) all saw the incident and decided it was ball to hand, not hand to ball. The rules are clear on this, hence the reason why they allowed the goal to stand.
Secondly, the coach of Mansfield and their main striker both admitted that they didn’t blame Suarez for claiming the goal and would have done exactly the same thing if they were the beneficiaries of a goal scored in similar circumstances.
Thirdly, your point about the handball in the World Cup has been given as another reason to nail Suarez to the cross. He was rightly sent off (as many other players have before him for doing exactly the same thing). Ghana were given a penalty which they duly missed and Suarez celebrated, as would any other player in similar circumstances. Ghana were the reason they got knocked out of the World Cup because they missed the penalty, not Suarez.
Let’s assume that Suarez did intentionally handle the ball before scoring that goal. Many critics seem to be suggesting that Suarez should have informed the referee and and had the goal chalked off. Following this logic, should we expect any player who knowingly commits a foul in the box which the officials have missed to then put their hand up and inform the referee of their indiscretion so that a penalty kick is awarded? Hardly. That is the sad hypocrisy of all the holier-than-thou critics like the author of this article who stand in line waiting to take a shot at Suarez. They seem happy to ignore the roughhouse tactics that are employed against the most skillful players in the world (remember that stamp by Huth on Suarez in the Stoke game where no card was given) yet scream blue murder when someone like Suarez occasionally benefits from a questionable refereeing call.
Suarez is like most other professional football players who ply their trade around the world: he cheats to gain an advantage. Players claim a throw when they know the ball has come off them last. Similarly with corners and goal kicks. Players also wave imaginary cards to try and con the referee when they have knowingly committed a foul that should result in a penalty. Sadly, this is modern football and it’s all cheating. However, it would appear from all the rubbish written about him that only Suarez is guilty of questionable tactics in the world of football.