Suarez’s Latest Controversy Isn’t as Simple as That
I suppose it’s not only easier, but it makes for better press, to just assume the worst; although he failed to comment on it directly after the match, it looks like Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has dove head first into yet another biting scandal after claims from Italian defender Giorgio Chellini that the Uruguayan took a chomp out of him during the Azzuri’s 1-0 loss to La Celeste yesterday was backed up by some inconclusive video evidence.
The expected imaginative word play and plethora of recycled internet memes have followed in it’s wake while the holier than thou types reluctantly jump on their soap-boxes to not only condemn his actions, but call on his sponsors to drop him before a decision is even made by FIFA. Football’s world governing body is launching an investigation of the evidence to see if a retroactive punishment — or any further discussion — is even warranted, but the consensus of the general public is already in and there’s little surprise that mob mentality has ruled him guilty as sin.
That’s of course not to say that he’s innocent; this is neither a condemnation of his alleged actions or an attempt to brush them off and pretend like this didn’t happen. Let’s be honest — had the two previous incidents not happened, this easily becomes a 50/50 argument that no one is ever going to conclusively win. Unlike the Branislav Ivanovic footage, every angle I’ve seen the alleged bite from is far from cut and dry. There’d certainly be a conversation to be had if Suarez’s record didn’t proceed him, but that’s obviously not the case.
I’ll go out on a limb and court those of you who’ll call me a victim blamer, but could Chellini not be lying? If Suare’z intense desire to win and anger issues can give a nod towards a rudimentary explanation of his repeated biting offences, could that same burning need to come out on top not have fuelled the Italian to make a false accusation towards a player he knew would be charged as guilty before a trial was even scheduled?
Maybe I’m completely off the mark by even posing the question, but it doesn’t seem that like it would be out of the realm of possibility. This, like I said earlier, isn’t just an open and shut case. Going under my own heavily biased opinion, it looks like he took a bite; Suarez appears to bury his face in the back of Chellini and the Italian falls to the ground with the Uruguayan, feigning an elbow or a shoulder to the face, following behind him. The defender shows the alleged bite marks to anyone who will hear his story and the striker — once again the central figure in World Cup controversy — plays the victim. Questions of morality aside, if it were this simple, then a ban is in order.
Video by V. Vergo
Although strikingly out of the ordinary, I’ll echo my thoughts on the last time this all kicked off and say what he did was no worse than a player who slides in to injure another player intentionally or a head-butt doled out in the heat of the moment. Maybe it’s the infantile association with biting that leads some to be embarrassed by the mere thought of it, but no one should be embarrassed except the transgressor; I know I’m not blushing at his actions. If he did it, he’s the stupid one — for once in my life, I’m in the clear. While it might, odd as it is to say, be more socially acceptable to use your forehead or your feet as a weapon, when you’re answering the question of morality I blatantly dodged earlier, it hardly differs. Nor does it really need to be answered.
If FIFA find him guilty than he should be punished; but unlike the FA, their decision should be made on fact rather than to placate a witch-hunting public. There’s a set of rules in place and if he’s broken them then he deserves what’s coming to him. Whether that punishment will fit the crime or whether they’ll bow to public pressure of course remains to be seen, but there will be fall-out from this on both the international and domestic levels of the game. Liverpool, though having nothing to do with this latest bit of scandal, are unfortunately not insulated from it even though it happened outside the Premier League. Any ban or sanction Suarez receives, if found guilty, will affect his international career rather than finding its way back to Anfield, but once again, his tarnished image will be a burden to carry.
The us against them mentality is fine when it comes to rival supporters and clubs, but it’s not so easy to carry off when it comes to sponsors and potential investors. The Reds hierarchy have done an immense job of bringing in new commercial partners to drum up much needed capital and though this particular incident may not sour any of those already established relationships, it could be a contentious point in future business dealings. This, of course, is neither here nor there and far enough down the road to disregard for the time being.
He’s not even officially guilty yet, is he?
Steven
What says you? Did Luis do the dirty or is this just another witch hunt? If he’s guilty, what punishment should FIFA hand out and how does Liverpool react to it? Let me know what you think in the comments section, but keep it civil.
Cock, He fucking bit him you blind muppet.
I think saying that the Italian defender faked it, despite having clear teeth marks on his back and despite closer footage showing the lunge as he is on the shoulder seconds before, is another example of Liverpool fans being so deluded that they would say the sky is red when the whole world said blue if it meant defending their teams honour.
I am a West Ham fan and I like Liverpool too. But not when thwy defended Suarez against the Ivanovic bite or against the Evra racism scandal. Violence is violence and racism is racism. It’s very simple and to defend them both when the evidence clearly says otherwise is down right ignorant. If Kevin Nolan or Mark Noble or Andy Carroll had done that, West Ham fans would put their hands up and say ‘this player deserves everything he gets’ and being a fan for nearly 30 years, I stand by that. He absolutely did it and when, not if, but when he is punished for it, it would be nice for everyone who knows that this kind of behaviour is just wrong to see Liverpool and their fans agree as well instead of always ignorantly siding with a bad person.
look no one knows if the teeth marks where from a Luis Suarez bite or a Chilini attempted Elbow driving the shoulder into Suarez’s Face but that doesn’t sell papers does it we saw the Japanese player get elbowed tonight and what looks like a broken nose as a result any clammer for the other guy to be banned for a year is one somehow worse than the other or is it because of who it is
The same pundits who where saying England where to nice and should be a bit nastier are the same ones crying out for blood what a load of wankers they are
I’ve ran through all of the footage I could find (including the HD stuff from the match) and couldn’t find any definitive evidence of a bite. It looks like the two of them came together from behind and it looks like Suarez put his face into his shoulder — whether he bit him or not is obviously the question.The Ivanovic footage was cut and dry — it was blatantly obvious, but this not so much.
To me, like I said in the piece before saying multiple times that if he’s guilty he deserves to be banned, it looks like he bit him, but I question whether I’m seeing that because of bias. He’s done this twice before so trying it on for a third time isn’t out of realm of possibility — but neither is Chellini . not exactly ta bastion of of high standards, faking it.
Not that I expect my assertions to the otherwise to matter since Hammers fans would just sit back and accept any accusation thrown their way whether it was questionable or not, but if this was Andy Carroll or Mark Noble or Sir Alex Ferguson, I’d be saying the same thing.
Done defending Suarez. Forget the past incidents. He knows he is walking a tight rope and he keeps doing things to make the club look bad. We should sell him to Madrid for Benzema+ cash or Barca for Sanchez plus cash. Simple. He bit the guy. Plain as day, this is not a witch hunt. He bit the guy. Done with it over it. He can go the way of Torres. Dead to me
Like I said, from the video footage, it doesn’t look conclusive to me, but if he did bite him, then he deserves to be punished — no question about it.
Let me quote myself for a moment:
“If FIFA find him guilty than he should be punished; but unlike the FA, their decision should be made on fact rather than to placate a witch-hunting public. There’s a set of rules in place and if he’s broken them then he deserves what’s coming to him.”
If he bit him, he deserves a punishment appropriate to the action. Like I said, it’s hardly worse than an insanely reckless tackle, an elbow to the face or a head-butt.
Those calling for an extended ban need to take a breath.
I couldn’t agree more. It’s inconclusive at best that Suarez took a bite out of Chiellini . I mean how do we even know the bite marks on the Italian players’ shoulder are from Suarez’s teeth in the first place. Chiellini could’ve been bitten by someone else and just tried to incriminate Suarez. I mean it’s not like it hasn’t happened before. Look at OJ Simpson double murder case , where he was clearly framed by the LA PD. If anything, Suarez just tried to rest his tired jaw on Chiellini’s shoulder and the Italian clearly overreacted and why is biting an opponent even worse than a hard tackle to begin with? If anything, using one’s teeth on the football pitch is just a proof one is a superior footballer capable of using all of his body parts to win a football match.
I say Suarez should be commended and not ridiculed. Haters!
Any ban that FIFA hands out wouldn’t effect Liverpool so I doubt the club will take any sort of drastic measures. If Henderson got sent off for a wild challenge that broke someone’s leg while playing for England, I wouldn’t expect the club to flog him off or take action in any which way.
Like I said, this is going to have a trickle down effect, but I’m willing to bet that they only say anything if he’s found guilty and sanctioned by FIFA.
This seems pretty conclusive to me.
Sadly.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bq6djZnIAAAV0bK.jpg
If his teeth marks are supposed to be the dark spots on his shoulder, even blown up, they don’t really look like teeth marks. The larger of the spots could be an incisor, but the other ones are far too small — I’ve tried to wrap my head around it, but I can’t see it.
I’m hardly an expert on shoulder biting or teeth patterns though…is there a dentist in the house?
Only a die-hard Liverpool or Uruguayan fan could arrive at this shameful conclusion. It is because of this blind and reckless support that for the 3rd time (2 found guilty and banned ) Suarez finds himself in what is the most shocking incident that I have witnessed in all my years of watching the World Cup (50 years) and that includes Zidanes (sp) meltdown vs. Italy. His talent gets in the way of fans, club and country officials ability to arrive at decent and sound conclusions. Win at all cause appears to be the motto. Once again, millions of highly impressionable young boys and girls will learn from how this incident is handled. WE are about to teach some very serious and lasting lessons. Don’t blow it, FIFA, The EPL, the English FA, Uruguay and Liverpool. If found guilty of the infraction, this man should be thrown out of football–end of story!
And you’re okay with that? As a fan, a real fan of the game, I would like to think that you would want to see this man on the sidelines forever. Harsh you say? I think not. There is no place in this game for a player like Suarez, no matter how talented.
Shameful my friend…simply shameful !!!
Sidelined forever? You’re having a laugh, right?
You must not be paying very close attention having watched for 50 years. Where does this rank for you?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_2YqLJX6hk
Saying he should be punished if found guilty is quite scandalous.
Suarez confessed “this things happens in the box”. What more clarity do you want?
And this is my point. If you want to stretch this out in saying bias makes us condemn him, then you are a deluded Liverpool fan. Those marks are teeth marks. What the bloody else could they be in that exact moment and at that exact time? Is that Chellini carrying round a tooth mark just waiting for Suarez to get near for 75 minutes and then when the right moment arrives, he can use it to capture and entrap the unlucky Luis so he can help take Italy through?
Please wake up and also to say that this isn’t a serious thing compared to a rash tackle is short of madness. If he had headbutted Chellini, it would carry the same connotations and punishment. It is violent conduct on another player and the two reasons everyone is up in arms about it is because of the lack of times someone has bitten someone to achieve that violent conduct which is so few that people are amazed that someone could do something so immature and nasty. If this had happened in Basketball or Baseball in the US or even in the Olympics, it would be seen as an outrage. So to be sticking up for a guy that has committed an assault which is what it is (if you did that to someone on the street or at work, you would be set upon or fired) is amazing especially in a professional sport where whether you tackle someone badly or injure someone worse or assault them, it is supposed to be looked upon with scorn like it would in any other sport because of the nature of it. To say it is over the top is basically a dumb reaction to someone who worships this man more than your common sense in the real world should be allowed. The other reason is about the media. Yes, there will and bias toward a player who bites someone because unfortunately, it is something we all find disgusting and if a player who has been caught twice before does it again, you can bet they will be there to capture it. Why? Because it’s a great story and also because if it was Rooney, they would be condemning it. The Liverpool local news would have a field day and so would every major paper in the world, even in Uruguay. Wanna know why? Because it doesn’t matter that he is from Uruguay or Liverpool or that it is Suarez or Rooney. We all love watching Suarez but if it was Rooney or Pirlo or even the Campbell fella from Costa Rica, we would all be disgusted with him and they would all be tarred with that brush after and followed for years to come because of it. It is not just because it is Suarez. It is because for the third time, he has resorted to violence (and you can spin that however, you like…it is 100% a violent act) and in the same way as twice before when he was told to apologise and was punished for it with action to be taken against him if he does it again. Seriously, you are saying if you saw Rooney with his back to the camera but doing the same actions and Chellini having the same end result, that you wouldn’t be appalled because your common sense knew what he had just done? Hand on heart, if that was Andy Carroll, I admit there would be part of me that would want to claim to people to go easy on him because he is not a bad guy but I would not be saying that 1) it didn’t happen when it’s pretty clear that it did. You don’t actually need to see him do the chomp on this one. You have the Italian players reaction, Suarez holding his teeth and a bite on the shoulder for all to see. This isn’t JFK smoking gun time mate. There can’t be a conspiracy on this because quite frankly, it would be the worst and silliest conspiracy ever. And 2) I wouldn’t be saying that it was a witch hunt. I would say that he has committed an act that DOES NOT BELONG ON A FOOTBALL PITCH. How else do we put it to you? Biting is for babies who don’t know any better or biting is something a dentist asks you to do when he does a mould of your teeth. It is not something you bring to a professional sport and then use on someone. Whether the papers are going over the top is irrelevant. He has been caught and they were there. He handed them the rope. You can’t expect them to not look and not to use that rope if he was the stupid one who gave it to them. How is it only Liverpool or Uruguay fans are this naive? We all universally don’t like this act. Just admit that it is wrong and your player was stupid enough to get caught again. Don’t blame the press for bias when he was stupid enough to provide it to them.
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/liverpool-fc-luis-suarez-deeply-7320745
Even your Liverpool Echo is agreeing that he has done it and should be punished.
Did he deny biting him or just defending him out of your own will? You have to admit something is wrong with Suarez.
Err…it ranks right up near the top mate. ‘it’s hardly worse than an insanely reckless tackle, an elbow to the face or a headbutt’.
Err again…yes it is. In the heat of the moment we are known to lash out. That is human nature. It takes a bit more gall to actually clamp on and bite. If you were in a fight and someone grabbed you, you could instinctively throw an arm or if you were face to face, it would be easy in the red mist to push that head forward in a quick and decisive manner to hurt. To bite someone in the same situation, you would have to get very close and aim…with your teeth. Its not easy to bite someone when you are both moving about. And that is the reason why your comments are hollow in response to what he has done. They have no merit when you blindly follow your messiah. Take Suarez out of the equation, replace him with someone at work you don’t like and say that that is not as bad as headbutting him or swinging an arm. I mean, its not in realm of impossibility for you to have a scrap at work and for someone to swing an elbow in retaliation is it? Now imagine you having the same scrap at work and you going and biting him. It would be so much worse in that manager’s office afterwards when although you are already in trouble, you bit the other guy as well. That manager will not only be furious at the fight in the first place but he would be so mad to know that you also bit a colleague during this disagreement.
Now go back to the match…there was no disagreement, no fight or quarrel. Suarez bumped into someone who tried to brush him off rigorously and he proceeded to chomp on his shoulder. No provocation, no disagreement in the workplace, no previous tension between the two. But somehow Suarez still thinks biting him is the answer.
Common sense anybody? Anybody? Because I see none on this forum from you pal.
“If he bit him” why are you still repeating this Steven or shall we wait till Suarez bit someone to death on the pitch? I’m sure you were dancing when Mourinho and co were singing his praise until that awful moment .
My Liverpool Echo? It’s a media outlet, not canon for every LFC fan to follow.
That was quite long winded, but worth the read I suppose.
So, violence is less reprehensible as long as it conforms to societal norms? Had he spun him around and twated him it wouldn’t be quite as bad, would it? I’m not saying this isn’t a shit way to act, I’m saying it isn’t any worse than intentionally breaking a leg a la Roy Keane or headbutting someone in a fit of rage. Do you not find those things equally as disgusting? Or are they less so because it’s the kind of violence we see on TV every single day?
Suarez obviously has some serious problems and why he’s prone to biting rather than throwing a punch is something that we’ll probably never know or understand. Regardless, as you said earlier, violent conduct is violent conduct and the punishment, which I said more than once that he should receive the bulk of if found guilty, should fit the crime and not some over the top show since this is a big ticket, high profile story.
Something is seriously wrong with him. I think we’ve known that for a long time.
Could you imagine if he bit someone to death? And then he bit another person to death? And then everyone started biting each other to death? And then there was no one left to bite so he bit himself to death?
Again, violent conduct is violent conduct.
Like I’m supposed to know that living in Hertfordshire. You support Liverpool, it’s called the Liverpool Echo. Gimme a break will ya?
He will pay for what he has done regardless of the media coverage. The media coverage does not matter in this situation one iota because HE BIT ANOTHER FOOTBALLER.
And your first main paragraph states whether it is less reprehensible to conform to societal norms? What the hell are you on about mate? I said many times that violence is violence. I never said that one is better or more acceptable. Find that EXACT quote. I find it all disgusting but a bite is something that is harder to understand from a human being seeing as it not something that you associate with lashing out, unless you are a small child and physical prowess is yet to take hold of how you react physically. Roy Keane’s horrible tackle I hold just as disgusting as Suarez biting another player. Why? Because neither belong on a football pitch or in a civilised society. It’s very simple. Talk about dragging this one out. He is so very guilty and even Liverpool’s top heroes are coming out and saying it now. He did it and he should and will be heavily punished for it. And no media outlet in the world with all their coverage is gonna change that fact.
And again, that is what I have been saying all along. You know that bit where I say the boss would be furious in the first place because of the scrap? That’s where I said it. Violence is violence whether it be a scrap at work or biting someone on a football pitch. So if we are both saying the same thing, then why are we arguing? Because it all comes down to Suarez again as an individual and why he is being defended again by people who quite plainly are blindly looking for excuses for him rather than holding their hands up and blaming him outright. I had a mate an hour ago who is a Liverpool fan making fun of it by making food jokes. But he fully admits that Suarez is guilty and deserves a punishment. Why can’t you rather than saying the defender acted out, the bite mark could possibly have been a mole in the shape of an Alsatians jaw that just so happened to be on the place where he accused Suarez of biting him and that the media are to blame for people taking notice of a quite obvious bit of disgusting behaviour on a football pitch? Maybe the media should just say ‘shhhh’ to us all when it next happens and we all nudge nudge wink wink it away in your convenient world?
There`s something sickening about biting that’s hard to explain, but we know it is disgusting, and unhinged. It’s also embarrassing. I think you have to separate the disgust and the intent. It’s as disgusting and embarrassingly mad as, erm, throwing shit or something at the oppo’s manager, and it’s as bad an intent as breaking a leg because it is equally vicious, it genuinely intends to seriously harm. What to do about it, I have no idea. Is there a parallel? I, for one, would be greatly relieved if Luis ‘came out’ and just said ‘I forgot my call to the psych’ or something rather than denying it. The denial for me is just as upsetting. His character is nothing like Roy Keane’s with respect to the tackle. So we have a public falling apart of a personality. I think everyone should deal with it sensitively. If I were Luis, I have no idea what I would do. He looked like Dr Hyde, poor guy after such a great game against England.
Exactly Mod. Get a healthy perspective on it.
That’s like saying the BBC speaks for all Britons.
Quoting you is hard since everything seems to run together, but when you say that:
“it is because of the lack of times someone has bitten someone to achieve that violent conduct which is so few that people are amazed that someone could do something so immature and nasty”
it really does sound like you’re holding this as something that’s worse than something that say Keane or De Jong did. It’s out of the ordinary — I never disputed that, but, if violence is violence, then why would a ban exceed that of a violent conduct charge? Because it’s out of the ordinary and because we can’t understand the method in which he practiced that violence?
Regardless, media bias or not, I plainly stated that my own bias sees him as being guilty before FIFA had even ruled on it and that if found guilty he should be punished.
Those quotes are both in the article and easy to find.
In the article, and in my subsequent responses, I’ve agreed that violence is violence. Where the disconnect comes in is that when I say that a bite is no worse than whatever else you deviate from the violence is violence line.
How about an exact quote? You’re fond of those.
“Err…it ranks right up near the top mate. ‘it’s hardly worse than an insanely reckless tackle, an elbow to the face or a headbutt’.
Err again…yes it is. In the heat of the moment we are known to lash out. That is human nature. It takes a bit more gall to actually clamp on and bite.”
Now, for my quote:
“Although strikingly out of the ordinary, I’ll echo my thoughts on the last time this all kicked off and say what he did was no worse than a player who slides in to injure another player intentionally or a head-butt doled out in the heat of the moment.”
Violence is violence. Suarez biting someone is fucked up — I said it before, and I said it again.
My reluctance to come right out and blame him hinged on the video evidence available at the time. To me, it’s not as conclusive as the Branislav Ivanovic footage. Forgive me for resisting the urge to join the mob and instead think for myself.
Not that I need to defend the innocent until proven guilty position — it is the crux of the legal system.