No they can override referee in 'exceptional' cases. They've clearly said this is exceptional, so why wasn't Defoe's? I agree with RickieRickie it's inconsistent. And I do think 10 matches is very harsh, given what other punishments have been in football. I think it will be reduced on appeal.
That was said tongue in cheek. I know it is as working class as upper class (in most areas). However in my circles (and anyone who has been to a red brick uni) Rugby is quite cliquey and many who follow or play it look down their noses with a misguided sense of superiority at those who follow football. Many have a reactionary dislike of football base not on the game itself, but on a tiny minority of thuggish fans and a few badly behaved thuggish players. But I guess it depends what kind of circles you move in...
The only other player to get a 10 match ban - Dave Prutton whilst playing for Southampton. For pushing a ref and failing to leave the pitch I believe. I think biting someone is worse than this especially as this is the second time he has done it.
While people are talking about rugby it's worth reiterating that they have the disciplinary side of the game very well organised indeed compared with football. Violent offences such as this are, correctly, dealt with extremely seriously, with much longer bans than you would get in football. The reason I say Suarez's punishment is harsh is because the FA are so inconsistent. In my view there is no difference between this and Defoe's offence, and Defoe was only given a yellow card. The FA has described Suarez's bite as 'clearly more serious' than usual violent conduct. So how was Defoe's not deemed exceptional enough to warrant further punishment. It's this kind of inconsistency which frustrates people. How some players can get away with things seemingly scot-free, and another can be punished so severely. The only way to solve this is have consistently applied punishments, meaning you have to allow retrospective action for clear offences, and a tariff of punishments which are published and known beforehand. At the moment it seems like they are just making it up as they go along.
Totally agree. He's always in the headlines for the wrong reasons and is an accident waiting to happen!
So you think whatever he said to Evra is worse than bighting? I disagree. Liverpool fans have come to accept that their star player is a disgusting cheat, although a lot of them are of the opinion that "if we sell him, he will just go to Barcelona or Man City". I'm not so sure, I don' tthink either of those teams have a slot for Gerrard...
The ban may also reflect the fact that he was in serious trouble recently with the Evra incident. It's not as if it is his first offence.
Longest bans handed out by FA 9 months - Manchester United's Eric Cantona for 'kung-fu' kicking a supporter in 1995 9 months - Chelsea keeper Mark Bosnich who tested positive for cocaine in 2003 8 months - Rio Ferdinand of Manchester United for missing a drugs test in 2003 7 months - Sacked Chelsea striker Adrian Mutu for failing a drug test in 2004 12 games - QPR's Joey Barton for two counts of violent conduct against Manchester City players in 2012 11 games - Sheffield Wednesday's Paolo Di Canio for pushing referee Paul Alcock in 1998 10 games - Southampton's David Prutton for shoving referee Alan Wiley in 2005 10 games - Luis Suarez for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic in 2013 9 games - Paul Davis of Arsenal for punching Southampton's Glenn Cockerill in 1988 and breaking his jaw 8 games - Luis Suarez for racially abusing Patrice Evra in 2011 8 games - Man City's Ben Thatcher for elbowing Portsmouth's Pedro Mendes in 2006 Forgot about Paul Davis breaking Glens jaw...
I'm hoping this 10 game ban might finally be the end for the Racist Rat.Get him out of English football !!
He was so annoying at SMS. Finally got a card he probably didn't deserve because he even got on the ref's nerves, but he should be booked as soon as his name appears on the sheet. Just being Suarez warrants a yellow card.
No it won't. He got 7 games before so it's got to be increased for doing it again. 10 games is perfectly fair for what he did.
