This is not
the first time Luis Suarez has stuck his teeth in another player. Nor is it the
first time he has got himself into hot water with the FA or his own club and as
a Liverpool fan let me tell you, no matter who he plays for, it won’t be the
last time
Many
articles have been typed up and discussions had over Sunday’s biting incident. Firstly,
Suarez actions were disgusting. No one can condone what he done. No matter how
frustrated you get or riled up by an opposing player, biting is just
unacceptable. So we all agree on that. What he did was wrong and yes he should
be punished for it!
Now this is
when the conversation becomes interesting, his punishment and how Liverpool
should deal with the player.
Brendan
Rodgers has come out and stated that the club will deal with it internally in
an appropriate manner. Ian Ayre has
cancelled his trip to Australia to deal with the matter and I’m sure John Henry
and Tom Werner will have a say in how they deal with Suarez and ensuring that the
credibility of the club remains intact. But how should they deal with it? The
media have suggested fining him and giving money to the Hillsborough charity in
the wake of the anniversary. Graeme Souness and Henry winter have said that he
should be sold as soon as possible and others have gone as far as saying his
contract should be terminated
I agree
that a lengthy ban and a hefty fine would be a just punishment. But selling him
and sacking him…well that is just as mad as Suarez himself. And if you punish
him who is to say he will not repeat again
Let’s go
back to the infamous incident in 1995 at Selhurst Park when Eric Cantona launched
himself at a fan in the crowd. The FA Chief Executive at the time, Graham Kelly, described his attack as "a stain on
our game" that brought shame on football. He was handed an 8 month ban and
United went on to lose the title to Blackburn Rovers. Cantona wanted to leave
the club and even asked for his contract to be terminated. However, his manager,
Alex Ferguson, persuaded him to stay on. In the next two years United won two league
titles, an FA cup and Cantona was re-instated as captain of one of the most prestigious
and historic clubs in the world. I doubt they have really looked back since and
I’m pretty sure that the stain has been removed. In 2009 Ferguson said this
about the incident nearly 14 years later “over the years since then I have
never been able to elicit an explanation of the episode from Eric, but my own
feeling is that anger at himself over the ordering-off and resentment of the
referee's earlier inaction combined to take him over the brink." I don’t
hear a mention of getting rid of him or “I thought about letting him go” do
you?
So the question I
ask is this, did United have to sell Cantona after “staining the Game”? Did
they get rid of their leader, their charismatic talisman? Of course not! It
would have been absurd of them to do such a thing. Cantona raised the bar at
Manchester United. He made good players better. He showed young payers the
talent that was needed to succeed. He made Manchester United an attractive team
for other players to come join. And he scored goals when it mattered.
“Sell Suarez now and get money for him and get
someone else “I hear you cry. Liverpool paid 24 million for him 18 months ago
and he has gone on to score 30 goals this season and is in contention for PFA
player of the year. He is undoubtedly one of the top 5 players in world
football today and could play for any team right now. His price had gone up to
$50 million recently. But would Pep want this Latin American nut case on his
team. Would the Special one? Not right now and certainly not for $50 million.
Like a girlfriend with daddy issues….
Suarez recent
antics, along with his other well
documented past misdemeanors, mean that no one would pay that money for him. So
that in itself is hard for Liverpool after already wasting 35 million on Andy
Carroll. Liverpool are not in the position to just let another striker go
because who do they get in?? Cavani , Falcao or Benzema are all players who are
possibly on the move this summer. But a move to Liverpool without Suarez would
not be appealing to them. Steven Gerard
has taken a back seat to the Uruguayan this season and without meaning disrespect
to the players who are currently at the club; Suarez is the only true world
class player in the whole squad. And he will attract players of a similar
stature. The rumour mill stated recently the Ajax’s Christian Eriksen had
representatives at Anfield watching the Chelsea game. Suarez is a former team
mate of the mercurial young Dane and I can guarantee that one of the main draws
to Liverpool is to play with the brilliantly mad striker. Take him away and who
do they attract??? Or more how do they attract this caliber of player? People
say the club is big enough to attract these types of players in with its
history. Rodgers calls it a “footballing institution”. That it is but it’s an institution
that is falling further and further behind. Like a commodore 64 competing with
a PlayStation 3. I can admit that
Liverpool have become a mid-table team. Struggling with bankruptcy, still
awaiting a new stadium and now talk of getting rid of their best player. Surely
this will set the club even further back.
Whatever
punishment the FA and Liverpool hand down to Suarez or how much he is fined,
there is one interesting alternative approach which could be taken by the club.
This season Brendan Rodgers brought on board Dr Steve Peters. Dr Peters is a sports psychologist who has helped the likes of Sir Chris Hoy
and Victoria Pendleton with Olympic triumphs and also helped sports bad boys
such as Ronnie o Sullivan and Craig Bellamy change their ways mentally. He
works with the club on a part time basis and it’s voluntary if the players use
his services. To go further into this argument is to suggest, after so many
incidents and similar to this previous one, Suarez may possibly have some
mental issues. Something in his makeup that pushes him over the edge or see the
famous “red mist”. Is this a solution to the biting and diving? Should he sit
with the good doctor and talk it out? Who knows but if I was Brendan Rodgers, Ian
Ayre or even Tom Werner, I would exhaust all my options before I even think of
letting one of the world’s best players leave a club that needs him more than
he needs them. Recently in an article
published by the Daily Mirror, John Henry, Liverpool’s owner, mentioned that he
speaks to the Manchester United owners regularly and seeks advice on how to
progress the club. Maybe a few lessons can be learned from the old enemy after
all.
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