It’s taken a little over two months and this outcome has been one that every Liverpool fan and indeed the club would have dreaded since the FA officially charged Suarez with making a racist and offensive remark towards Manchester United’s Patrice Evra a little over a month ago.
Signed as a support striker to Fernando Torres, Suarez soon became the focal point of Liverpool’s attack. He came to embody a dynamism on the third half of the pitch that Liverpool had lacked in previous seasons; seasons where they have quite frankly fallen short of their lofty standards.
The Uruguayan - gifted with an embarrassing assortment of technical skills has a suspect temperament that is unfortunately a flaw with most prodigiously talented footballers. And I think that it is that disposition that has let him down in a busy festive period that his club is likely to require his services the most.
The Uruguayan - gifted with an embarrassing assortment of technical skills has a suspect temperament that is unfortunately a flaw with most prodigiously talented footballers. And I think that it is that disposition that has let him down in a busy festive period that his club is likely to require his services the most.
His scrapes with footballing authorities in the past reads like a charge sheet for a profligate teenager who knows his skills are enough to mitigate against serious reprimands but I dare say it would be short-sighted to see him as a racist on the basis of his previous misdemeanours or for his recent spat with Patrice Evra.
An eight match ban and a £40,000 fine seems like a harsh sentence but there will be a bevy of commentators out there who would think that an appropriate sentence has been finally meted after what was perceived as a lengthy delay in deliberating the issue.
They would look at it as a significant statement for the fight against racism and one that has the potential to act as a deterrent for future misconduct of this ilk.
The FA contends that Suarez used:
“insulting words towards Mr Evra during the match contrary to FA Rule E3 (1). The insulting words used by Mr Suarez included a reference to Mr Evra's colour within the meaning of Rule E3 (2). Mr Suarez shall be warned as to his future conduct, be suspended for eight matches covering all first team competitive matches and fined the sum of £40,000.
The [penalty] is suspended pending the outcome of any appeal lodged by Mr Suarez against this decision."
They have been careful not to label him as a racist and rightly so but the argument that they word ‘Negrito’ which Suarez was alleged to have used against Evra connotes something different (friend) in South American lexicon is in my opinion as spurious as any claim that purports that the lad is racist. The word while ambivalent in its meaning in Latin America is clearly pejorative if used in the context of a tinder box derby like was witnessed on the 15th of October between Liverpool and Manchester United.
Liverpool have vowed to stand behind their talismanic striker and are already looking to study the full details of the verdict as soon as it is released by the FA. They have a 14 day period to appeal but will probably be aware that any appeal is likely to be doomed for failure especially with a football body that seems really intent on making a categorical statement against racism. Perhaps of more anxiety to them will be the fact that they will be losing a player who has assumed a dimension of irreplaceability at a time when they would need him the most. His loss may act as catalyst to a slide down the Premiership table where they may once again watch glorious European nights from the comforts of Anfield - wistfully reflecting on the if’s and why’s of another unsuccessful season or it might not be as cataclysmic as feared.
In Andy Carroll they have a striker who is not yet firing on all cylinders and has yet to justify the £35 million pounds paid to bring him to Anfield. He might yet see this as an opportunity to step up and fulfil an obvious potential that made critics tout him as the next Alan Shearer. A lot also depends on Kenny Dalglish at a time like this.
Will he see Suarez’s ban as the perfect opportunity to instil a siege mentality within his team or will Liverpool continue to dwell on a contentious incident that could completely derail their season?
By Abiye Opuamah from Talk EPL
Related posts:
The Brilliance and Impudence of Luis Suarez
Luis Suarez: The Complete Striker
