A journalist with a bit of perspective
Luis Suarez should have second, or third, bite at the cherry
ONE man was dying in the wreckage and others were left horrifically injured when Lee Hughes fled the scene of the car crash he had caused. He went into hiding and lay low for 36 hours.
By: Mick Dennis
Published: Tue, April 23, 2013
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Lee-Hughes-now-plys-his-trade-with-Port-Vale-after-doing-a-hit-and-run-from-the-scene-of-a-car-crash Lee Hughes now plys his trade with Port Vale after doing a hit and run from the scene of a car crash
West Brom continued to pick him for the remainder of that 2003-04 season, relying on his goals to help them win promotion to the Premier League.
They did sack him when, eventually, he went to prison for causing death by dangerous driving. But, on his release, he picked up his career.
Then he picked up an assault conviction last year. Yet he is at Port Vale, still playing, still scoring goals.
When Marlon King went to prison for using a stolen BMW, Gillingham kept paying his wages. When he went back to prison for sexually assaulting and punching a woman who had rebuffed his advances in a nightclub, Wigan sacked him. But when he got out, he joined Coventry.
Luiz Suarez, bite, Marlon King, Lee Hughes, Joey BartonMarlon King is back in a Birmingham shirt after spending time in prison
Liverpool have handled his latest aberration as well as they dealt badly with the Evra incidents
He, too, is still playing, still scoring goals. Fans sing, “She said no, Marlon” at him, but he goes about his business, which happens to be football.
Then there is the charmless Joey Barton, would-be philosopher and serial offender. He was caught on CCTV knocking an unidentified man to the ground, straddling him and punching him “four or five times” in the street brawl for which he was jailed. He is playing in France for Marseille.
I could go on, listing the felons, thieves and thugs who have been able to play out the rest of their careers. And it is right and proper they are allowed to do that.
We do not let sex offenders go back to teaching. We do not let fraudsters work in banks. But, mostly, we want criminals to pay tax and contribute to society once they are released, so most are permitted to return to work.
If their jobs are as footballers, we should not let our jealousy about their salaries distort our opinions. Expelling them from the game would be punishing them twice.
Luiz Suarez, bite, Marlon King, Lee Hughes, Joey BartonJoey Barton plays in France for Marseille despite being caught on tv beating a man
So if Hughes, King, Barton and the rest are allowed to play football, how on earth can a fair and balanced country want to kick out Luis Suarez for biting Branislav Ivanovic?
It was football’s bad luck that Suarez’s jaws gave columnists like me something to chew on this week. The contrast with the London Marathon made the ‘beautiful game’ look ugly and scarred again.
On the streets of the capital, about 35,000 runners (and walkers and limpers), many with profound, personal reasons for supporting various charities, were determined to do some good, no matter what the pain.
Because of Boston, there was an extra emotional edge to a day which is always inspirational. I spoke to Americans who were moved by all those black ribbons.
Yet yesterday, those of us who love the game woke up to headlines about an act which has no place in civilised society, much less in a sporting arena. So we can all agree that biting people is wrong.
But the appalled reaction to Suarez chomping on the remarkably sanguine Serb is out of proportion to the offence. Perhaps we remember when, as toddlers, we were taught not to bite. Or perhaps there is a residual folk memory about cannibalism being taboo.
Luiz Suarez, bite, Marlon King, Lee Hughes, Joey BartonPerhaps Luis Suarez deserves further chances in English football
Whatever the reason, why do so many seem to think that a little gnawing was worse than an elbow in the face, or a bone-jarring, studs-up lunge. Or, indeed, worse than repeatedly abusing an opponent? Suarez received an eight-game ban for using racially offensive words to Manchester United’s Patrice Evra. The punishment for chewing against Chelsea has to be less, surely.
Suarez betrayed Kenny Dalglish over the squalid Evra affair. From the first moment Dalglish, who was then Liverpool’s manager, got the wagons in a circle and defended his player.
That self-deluding attitude, complete with daft T-shirts, lasted almost a year, until Suarez misled Dalglish about whether he would shake hands with Evra. It gave encouragement and licence to all those Liverpool fans who are still in denial, still sending me letters and emails claiming the 115-page written judgment by the FA was wrong and that Suarez was innocent. It also contributed to Dalglish’s sacking.
Now it is Brendan Rodgers who has been betrayed. He, too, has defended Suarez. After every dive, every handball, every critical headline, Rodgers spoke up for poor, misunderstood, victimised Suarez. And then the little delinquent went and opened his mouth again – and closed it on Ivanovic’s limb. So no wonder he was fined.
Other than the misjudged decision to give the money to the Hillsborough Families Support Group, Liverpool have handled Suarez’s latest aberration as well as they dealt badly with the Evra incidents.
And they are right to announce that he will remain a Red. Those shouting, “Liverpool must sell him” should ask how they would feel if Suarez turned up at their club. Would they suddenly become a tad more forgiving? You bet.
Now move along please. There is not much to see here. A player bit an opponent. He has been fined. He will be banned. Perhaps he will go on a course about table manners.
Then he will get on with being a Liverpool player – even if it leaves a bad taste in some mouths.
