Suarez hits new low

[Jaded]

Yes, but have you seen it in Chess? Hmmm?

[Wowbagger]

It's professional football, and therefore so far removed from real sport as to be in a different class all together.

I've seen equally unsportsmanlike behaviour in Rugby Union on a regular basis.

On a regular basis?

As Psychler points out above, at least rugby deals rather better with the problem players. However, since the onset of professionalism I can detect a move in the wrong direction so far as player discipline is concerned. I never felt that the English player Danny Grewcock ever received punishment commensurate with his repeated blatant foul play.

[Jaded]

Was he a right wing?

[LEE]

Was he a right wing?

Chess can get very right-wing.

"Those bloody black pieces coming over here, taking our white pieces"

[rafletcher]

I believe that Police are now involved.

Apparently, because Ivanovic (when interviewed by Merseyside Metropolitan Police) didn't want to press charges "no further action will be taken".

Hmmm, I surprised it's relevant what Ivanovic said, the Police can progress their own charges with something so public surely? After all Anton Ferdinand didn't press charges against John Terry for racial abuse, but the offence was prosecuted anyway, based on the complaint from a member of the public - and apparently a complaint re Suarez has been made by a member of the public too. And I'd have thought the evidence of an offence against Suarez is much more compelling than in the John Terry case.

[Illegal Combat Ant]

I've changed my mind now that Cameron has jumped on the fashionable bandwagon and called for strong action against Suarez. I think he should get a 'ceremonial' funeral. 

[fuzzy]

I believe that Police are now involved.

Apparently, because Ivanovic (when interviewed by Merseyside Metropolitan Police) didn't want to press charges "no further action will be taken".

Hmmm, I surprised it's relevant what Ivanovic said, the Police can progress their own charges with something so public surely? After all Anton Ferdinand didn't press charges against John Terry for racial abuse, but the offence was prosecuted anyway, based on the complaint from a member of the public - and apparently a complaint re Suarez has been made by a member of the public too. And I'd have thought the evidence of an offence against Suarez is much more compelling than in the John Terry case.

The Ferdinand/ Terry matter was a Public Order Act offence and did not require support of a 'victim' in as much as evidence offered by witnesses would be sufficient, if taken as true, to secure a convition.

Violence against the person incidents with a lowere level of harm inflicted on the victim are investigated if reported but, will generaly not be persued if the victim does not wish to support proceedings*

Violence resulting in more significant harm to the victim (Grievous Bodily Harm) etc. are often prosecuted even without the victims support, sometimes treating the victim as a 'hostile witness'.

*- Domestic Violence matters are often persued without the victims support these days. One reason for this is to no longer give the offender the opportunity to balme their victim for getting them into trouble.

[rafletcher]

Well another day, another learning experience, ta 

[Illegal Combat Ant]

10 game ban. Prolly about right considering his previous.

[Greenbank]

Footy desperately needs a citing system similar to that in Rugby.

Too much pressure on the on-field refs to spot everything, and they simply can't.

[citoyen]

Seems a tad excessive to me, in the context of punishments for similar offences handed out to other players - he's now had an eight-match ban for racism while John Terry got a four-match ban (and JT's offence seemed far worse to me, because of the malice behind it), and a ten-match ban for biting while Jermain Defoe received no punishment at all (yeah, so he got away on a technicality, whatever - it's bullshit, the FA could have gone after him if they'd really wanted to).

And he's often picked on for diving, when in fact he's no worse than many other top players in this respect - including St Leo of Barcelona, who has a habit of going down remarkably easily, yet no one seems to notice it - not commentators, not referees, not fans.

Luckily for Suarez, he seems to relish the pantomime villain role. And his terrier-like attitude is part of what makes him such a great player. I hope he just takes it on the chin and moves on.

[citoyen]

Too much pressure on the on-field refs to spot everything, and they simply can't.

More specifically, they need to do something about being "unable" to investigate offences if the referee punished them at the time. It's a nonsense that Defoe effectively got let off just because the ref booked him at the time when he bit Mascherano.

[Jaded]

Diving bookings often seem to be more reputational than based on what happened.

[citoyen]

Diving bookings often seem to be more reputational than based on what happened.

Quite.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Let's see some blood before giving penalties. That'd stop the diving.

[Peter]

Let's see some blood before giving penalties. That'd stop the diving.

not necessarily - there was a rugby player with a little sachet, wasn't there?

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Issue each soccer player with a set of vampire teeth. No need to fake the blood then.

[LEE]

Seems a tad excessive to me, in the context of punishments for similar offences handed out to other players - he's now had an eight-match ban for racism while John Terry got a four-match ban (and JT's offence seemed far worse to me, because of the malice behind it), and a ten-match ban for biting while Jermain Defoe received no punishment at all (yeah, so he got away on a technicality, whatever - it's bullshit, the FA could have gone after him if they'd really wanted to).

And he's often picked on for diving, when in fact he's no worse than many other top players in this respect - including St Leo of Barcelona, who has a habit of going down remarkably easily, yet no one seems to notice it - not commentators, not referees, not fans.

Luckily for Suarez, he seems to relish the pantomime villain role. And his terrier-like attitude is part of what makes him such a great player. I hope he just takes it on the chin and moves on.

My view is that the other punishments weren't severe enough and that Suarez's punishment is about right.

If the aim is to stop this sort of behaviour then 3 match bans and £40,000 fines are meaningless.

As for diving, Suarez is no worse than the other players who tend to dive a lot, he just wasn't very good at it and so it always looked a bit pathetic.

Reputation plays a big part of how players are treated by Refs, that's not fair but the message is clear, don't get a reputation.

Suarez will never be able to shake off his reputation (not that he seems to be trying very hard).  Sub-consciously every Ref's first thought must be "he's probably cheating".  In that split-second his reputation may now cost him vital decisions.

It's worth remembering though, in most cases he IS cheating.

PS.  Messi really doesn't go down that easily.  He's famed for riding scores of fairly nasty tackles, designed to bring him down.

By contrast I remember once bumping into the Television set and Didier Drogba fell over.

[Jaded]

By contrast I remember once bumping into the Television set and Didier Drogba fell over.

[citoyen]

My view is that the other punishments weren't severe enough and that Suarez's punishment is about right.

Yes, I think you're probably right there.

Reputation plays a big part of how players are treated by Refs, that's not fair but the message is clear, don't get a reputation.

His reputation came before him - he was never going to be popular in British football after his evil goal-denying handball against the plucky Ghanaians at the last World Cup.

It's worth remembering though, in most cases he IS cheating.

This I disagree with. He's not nearly as bad a diver as Gareth Bale, but of course Gareth Bale isn't a Dirty Foreigner, so he can't possibly be a diver.

PS.  Messi really doesn't go down that easily.  He's famed for riding scores of fairly nasty tackles, designed to bring him down.

Yes, he has an amazing ability to stay upright, often in face of extreme provocation, which has earned him the reputation for "never diving", as this compilation proves:
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/cQzI5_irn_I&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/cQzI5_irn_I&rel=1</a>

On the other hand...
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/xSLxa3MYMcw&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/xSLxa3MYMcw&rel=1</a>

By contrast I remember once bumping into the Television set and Didier Drogba fell over.

 

[CAMRAMan]

My view is that the other punishments weren't severe enough and that Suarez's punishment is about right.

Yes, I think you're probably right there.

Bear in mind that he has already served a seven-match ban for exactly the same offence. I'm all for the club trying to rehabilitate the man, but how can Liverpoo be shocked and surprised at the length of the ban, given his record and reputation? If Liverpoo do appeal, it will rake up the old ashes of distaste following their reaction to the Evra/Suarez affair.

[spesh]

By contrast I remember once bumping into the Television set and Didier Drogba fell over.

Not so much POTD, but certainly line of the day, so far. 

[citoyen]

If Liverpoo do appeal, it will rake up the old ashes of distaste following their reaction to the Evra/Suarez affair.

I refer you to Wowbagger's earlier comment. If they appeal, it will be nothing to do with what's morally right and everything to do with business. That's a very valuable goalscoring asset to have warming the bench.

[Jacomus]

If Liverpoo do appeal, it will rake up the old ashes of distaste following their reaction to the Evra/Suarez affair.

I refer you to Wowbagger's earlier comment. If they appeal, it will be nothing to do with what's morally right and everything to do with business. That's a very valuable goalscoring asset to have warming the bench.

Yes, but what a Real World Business would have done is fire the fucker.

[Greenbank]

More than likely they'll look to sell him; probably to a Spanish club and probably only for £20m or so making a pretty hefty loss as far as Liverpool are concerned.

As others have pointed out, the above is probably the end result that Suarez actually wants.