So the breaking news today was that Suarez was given 9 game ban and no football activity for 4 months.
Now is this the punishment a footballer (professional) should be given for biting another footballer? BITING! And this is the 3rd time he has been punished for it.
Now correct me if I'm wrong but why should he still be given the opportunity to serve his ban, and then return the 'job' that everyone dreams of? I mean, if I was to bite someone, unprovoked, I would be arrested, fined, sued, given a sentence for GBH, sacked. An endless list. But as he is a 'sportsman' who is on a worldwide stage, and all he is technically getting is a slapped wrist.
I know there have been bans for players who have spat, fought each other, drug use but this man is a serial offender; banned for 3 biting offences, racial remarks, gestures towards fans. No saint.
Suarez though has no one to blame other than himself, and the fact that he is trying to blame others is not helping his case. Again, on the biggest stage as a footballer, World Cup South Africa 2010, he was sent off for handling the ball on the line stopping it going in. Only to celebrate when the penalty was missed like he had 'saved' Uruguay's World Cup hopes. Is this the sign of a true, honest professional? To cheat his way to get success? Alarm bells started ringing in many peoples minds.
To give an indication of how damaging the Suarez name is now becoming here is a stat no one wants to see: Since 2010, Luis Suarez has been banned for 34 games, without ever receiving a red card.
The recent act of controversy has now unfortunately tarnished what is an amazing World Cup. There has been fantastic games, goals and samba, but will always be the World Cup that had 'the bite' in it. Just like Zidanes head but. FIFA had an opportunity to make themselves be respected again, what with the corruption allegations that have come to light, by implementing a lengthy, tough punishment for a dangerous player who is in danger of bringing the game into a bad place. If they had given him 12 month ban, the majority of the footballing world would have welcomed it. The fact he will be playing agin in October is not really a punishment where he will turn around and say "you know what, I've learned my lesson". The only way he will ever learn or learn to control his actions was if he was to be punished like any other person.
FIFA didn't do what we were expecting.
It's this sorted of action/reaction that drives people away from this sport. The fact that these individuals are actually being (over)paid to play football every week is, well, pushing even the most hardcore fan away. But knowing that when an act of stupidity, madness happens and to be 'punished' in this way sums up what is wrong with the beautiful game. With the amount of television rights, sponsorships, image rights there will never be an end to the high demand of sport celebrities, and with that, the divide between the real world and the fantasy world of the footballer will continue to grow.
