Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Suspend Suarez!

Just a word on Luis Suarez, because he is not worth that much. If FIFA is serious about its message of respect and fair play, they should suspend him for life from the World Cup. He has apologized for doing this again and again, and then does it on the world stage.
Luis Suarez is a disgrace to the World Cup, to his beautiful country, and to the world in general.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree - but wouldn't be wonderfull if somebody took a look at "yet another innocent Italian defender" who was attached late in a match.
Zidane was maybe the most prominent player to loose his head against an Italian defender.

I just ask for a bit of balance in the coments.
//jim

Soren said...

Ah Suarez, a hero and a villain. There's a lot of media frezy, the social media has gone hyper viral and we need to keep our heads cool. There is also a strong agenda here for having Suarez banned domestically which FIFA has the authority to do. This would clearly be in the interest of EPL and CHL opponents next season. The English are as usual hyper moralists and have found a good excuse to not talk about their country's pathetic performance and coach clinging to his post (at least Prandelli show some italian class here). Is biting worse than hitting, spitting, headbutting, things that we have seen - also from legends such as Zidane and Gullit, in the past. What do we achieve from expelling Suarez for life? He IS completely crazy and OF course he needs to be punished and serve his time but it should be measured against similar incidents in the past. Does it matter that he did it before. Yes. But it also shows that punishment isn't going to change him. He needs help and guidance. This he got at liverpool last season and it was clear that when he came back he was making an effort. It would be interesting to know what it is that triggers this madness and if someone or something in the Uruguayan preparations pushed the wrong buttons - or perhaps someone on the pitch - as jim I dont believe in completely innocent italian players... Again, this is not meant as an excuse for what he has done but let us demand that he gets help and not get carried away by media frenzy and other agendas. I'd say a six months or even a year ban from international football.

El Erik said...

Thanks for your comments.
We may indeed not like Italian defenders. I for one sympathised with Zidane's headbutt on Mazeratti, but the red card was correct. So I cannot see how the issue of the Italian defender is relevant at all; all players experience them. Nobody reacts by biting, less so again and again... Suarez is, as Soren says, a repeat offender; this distinguishes him from previous offenders. He needs psychiatric help. Let him have it, but as such, his antics should not be part of the World Cup.I think that a man who is psychopathic does not belong in the world cup, no matter his skills.
But ok, he will not be suspended for life. We know that. So what are the precedents? The longest world cup suspension ever was in eight matches to the Italian defender Tasotti in 1994 (Spaniards will tell you all about it). For the spitting incidents (clearly less serious than this), in 1990, Frank Riijkaard was given three matches for spitting on Voller (has Gullit ever done it?), and Francesco Totti was given three days as well in 2004 for spitting at our own Christian Poulsen.
Alex Song was given a three match suspension in this world cup for his violent and unprovoked attack in the Croatia match.
What Suarez will get? It should be at least as much as Tasotti, so minimum eight days suspension on international matches under FIFA (not counting friendlies), so it would mean he would be out for this tournament and for the start of qualification for the next. This should also consider that he is a repeat offender.
No, he should not be suspended from the Premier League or UEFA CL.
He is not a hero. He has also ruined a lot for his country by this.

Anonymous said...

Yesterday we had it again - a situation where we clearly can see on TV that Sakho hits his opponent with his albow.
Should he have had a red card - yes indeed, just like Suarez, de Jong and many other players before him.

What we need is a fifth referee who review the video along the match. Then Suarez and Sakho would have been send off during the match.
This is the only what to stop violence on the pitch.
And it is desperatly needed in big turnaments where the whole world watches - along with the kids that here learn how to play football at its best.
jim

El Erik said...

Yes, I agree on Sakho, and hope that FIFA will also give him a suspension. Barring the bizarrenes of the Suarez incident, Sakho's was a much worse type of aggression.

El Erik said...

The Uruguayans have started a campaign in support of Suarez : http://www.seleccionuruguayadefutbol.com/2014/06/sumate-deoficiotodosoninguno.html
While I think they are denying the facts, and that Suarez deserves the punishment, there is one thing they are right in: FIFA is not consistent,but rather punishes players randomly. There are players in this tournament who have done offenses that the referee did not see which also MUST be taken up at the disciplinary committee and lead to suspensions. Sakho's evil elbow is an example. If this is not the case FIFA will indeed just appear as a random judge influenced by the media frenzy in its decisions.