And to call it abhorrent cheating isn't right either! It's the same principle as the cliche poor man stealing a loaf of bread to feed a hungry family - do you think the thief should be sent down for theft or do you think the circumstances make it excusable?
And how they have suffered the consequences for that particular charade! Well done for the action taken! Wish we could do that in football each time a player like Suarez goes ballistic because a decision doesn't go his way! I thought players could be booked for ungentlemanly conduct! Should be implemented a lot more. If it amounts to loads of sendings off so be it! Footballers are paid huge amounts of money so should learn to behave in a professional manner! After all aren't they role models?
As I said, it was more the gloating that annoyed me along with his arrogance and tendency to dive as well as his racism (even if what he said wasn't offensive in South America, he's not in South America so should consider local culture, as you should anywhere whether you're living there or just on holiday). Maybe, maybe but just because it's justifiable doesn't make it right or praise-worthy. As for the situation of a man stealing bread to feed his family, that's a life and death situation so is completely different. As much as I like football, it's only a game.
Well, footballers are young lads who understandably get riled up when there's pressure and adrenaline flowing. Why does no one ever criticise the manager for allowing his players to act in such a way? Surely as their coach, and as a supposed grown-up, he should take the responsibility of making sure his team acts in a professional manner.
The diving is the worst thing for me. I hate racism, but I think it's excusable if he comes from a country that doesn't even recognise it as an issue. Diving is never excusable - it's outright cheating and deceit and cannot be justified morally.
Rugby League and Union are high contact sports. There's also a lot of sledging. Like football the adrenaline flows. There's pressure to win all the time. Unlike football though, petulance is punished straight away and the players and coaches seem to conduct themselves in a far more professional manner that many football managers (Nigel Adkins and Brian McDermott apart)
I think it's fair to say that a problem with football is that most managers are complete tools who act like children.
Agree with you Joe! If we can recognise a dive why can't the officials? Now and again you see a player "tackled" who promptly rolls forward 10-20 m! Have you ever seen a player booked for that? Again Suarez is a prime example!! Well certainly when playing in Liverpool red as I can't judge what he gets up to for Uruguay!
Like Dan said, Suarez's handball was like stealing bread to feed your hungry family. Diving, on the other hand, is more like peeking at your opponent's board when playing Battleship.
How all you guys reckon diving is a worse crime than stopping a certain goal by breaking the rules is beyond me. If you dive in the box you may get rewarded by an unjust goal. If you stop a certain goal with your hand you have stopped a certain goal by unjust means. (the fact that the penalty might be scored is irrelevant). In rugby you would be awarded a penalty try and your cheating would come to nothing - maybe a change in the rules would help?
Neither is a crime... It's a question of morality as well as the ultimate outcome. Diving is worse in the sense that it is dishonest and a conscious attempt to fool the officials, opponents and viewers.
Utterly bizarre analogies. If anyone believes Suarez wouldn't have kept quiet had his handball not been seen they're an imbecile. Of course it's dishonest. His celebrations when the penalty was missed were utterly unsporting.
You mean had his handball not been seen by the officials, a single person in the stadium or any of the multiple television cameras? What kind of a moron would expect that it would go unseen?
He acted on instinct in the moment, he wasn't weighing up whether or not it would be seen, but it might shock you to learn that similar things have gone unpunished in the past (Thierry Henry's goal against Ireland in the World Cup qualifier for example). Lots of people would have done the same thing but his reaction afterwards showed how little class and respect for his opponents he had.
That's a completely different matter. I'm not saying he's not a complete douchebag, I'm just saying the single act of handball was excusable. Whether or not it could have gone unseen is totally irrelevant in that context. Obviously I still think Suarez is an idiot. I have plenty of other reasons to believe that.
