I first
caught a glimpse of him at the Amsterdam Arena where some of the World’s finest
ever footballers have set foot. The Uruguayan was little known at that time,
until he took the Eredivisie by storm and broke all the records set by Legends
aplenty. One thing that was quite evident was his attitude to the game. He
always wanted to be part of the winners’ circle. He always had to be the star of the show. The
band leader, the leader of the orchestra, the focal point, the best. However,
his unacceptable behaviour when trying to be the standard cannot be tolerated in
this game we all love so very much.
Luis Suarez,
according to Nikolas Postinger (@nikpostinger) and Italian fact finder, The
Soccer Translator (@wroldfootballcm), is, in terms of playing style, the
closest we have seen to ‘LA PELUSA’ MARADONA. I couldn’t agree more after what
I have seen over the last eight months. Like Maradona, Suarez is a flawed
genius. @youngcules went ahead to name some of the flawed geniuses of present
and past generations and unintentionally omitted the very best of them all- Mane
Garrincha. The GOLDEN BALL WINNER OF THE 1962 World Cup, Anjos de pernas tortas
(Angel with bent legs) still remains the best dribbler ever in our sport. He
was extremely flawed. Apart from being abnormal (bent legs and spine), he was a
philanderer, womaniser and a heavy drinker but that did not stop him from
becoming the greatest Botafogo player who has ever lived and a mainstay for the
Selecao when he wasn’t drunk. He was nicknamed Mane (Wren) by his sister. The
name ‘Mane’ was coined from his real name ‘Manuel’. Brazil NEVER EVER lost a
game that Pele and Garrincha featured and only EVER lost one that the latter
was part of alone. So loved and adulated by Brazilians, the home dressing room
of Football’s most intimidating shrine-THE MARACANA carries his name. Garrincha
had a long string of problems that he once ran over his father who was probably
more reckless. Despite his many shortcomings, he took the World by storm with
the gift God gave him. Although his career and life were shortlived, he still
remains one of the greatest footballers of all time. The GOAT in my opinion
because of what he had to overcome. George Best, Helenio Freitas, Edmundo,
Romario, Stoichkov, Eric Pierre Cantona are others that had controversies hung
around their necks but still made history with the blessings God bestowed on
them.
Coming back
to Suarez, he is unfortunately or fortunately in the above category. He has
been charged several times by the F.A in England for several misdemeanours and
law breaking activities ranging from the hand gesture at Fulham upon his arrival
from the Netherlands in 2011 to racially abusing Patrice Evra (called him ‘Negrita’-little black). He
took his idiocy to another level in the 12/13 season when he mistook Chelsea’s
Branislav Ivanovic’s hand for a piece of meat and bit it hard. That led to a
hefty 10-game ban that was probably borderline lenient. It wasn’t the first
time he was sinking his protruding teeth into the skin of an opponent. Othmar
Bakkal was unlucky when PSV came visiting the Godenzonen (Ajax) in a League
game in 2010. We thought we had seen enough until Tuesday, 24th June
2014 in a World Cup ‘winner takes all’ v La Nazionale (Italy). Suarez, visibly
infuriated by his lack of action coupled with Chiellini’s excellent defensive efficiency
during the game, sought to vent his frustration in a most bizarre way and the
result was yet another biting incident.
The Italian defender clearly showed the World where he had been bitten
by the Football Hannibal. A FIFA inquest has begun and the verdict is expected
to be passed later today. Feelers say a 25 game ban is most probable. The more
popular rumour making the rounds says he may be banned for 24 months. I totally
agree that he should be punished severely but taking two years from the career
of one of the World’s best players will be a crushing blow. He’s 27 now and at
the top of his game. Common sense should be applied and justice should be
tempered with mercy. What we should be doing is to counsel him not condemn him.
He is one of the most explosive footballers I have ever seen. The man came back
from injury and scored a brace to edge Uruguay closer to qualification which
they sealed on the day Suarez shot himself in the foot. The likes of Milmo
Valdez (President of the Uruguay F.A) and Diego Lugano (Uruguay Captain) have
leapt to the defence of their main man. But in trying to absolve him of any
blame, they have made a mockery of themselves and the positions they represent.
Alcides Ghiggia-One of Uruguay’s greatest
ever players has called for the ‘Gunslinger’ to be sanctioned and totally made
it clear that such things (biting a fellow player) has no place in our beloved
sport. In his words ‘I don’t know what this young man is thinking or what is in
his head. Whether you are Uruguayan or not, you have to reproach these things
on the pitch. It is not a war. Lugano took his ignorance a step higher with his
criticism of the English press for witch-hunting the star man of La Celeste but
he was only adding insult to injury.
I am very
critical of Suarez and I support the fact that he should be punished for his
crime but to give him a lengthy ban will only do more harm than good. The best
that can be done for him at this point in time is to provide him with
psychological help. We should unite as one to assist one of the best players in
the World. Adding to his misery will deepen the sore that he has inflicted upon
himself. We can be of immense help to the lad and he needs us now more than
ever before. For the man who almost single-handedly drove Liverpool to within whiskers of a first League title in twenty four years, he deserves another chance.
Ohireime P
Eboreime
@ohiskaka1990
