Saturday, June 21, 2014

Luis Suárez bites the hand that feeds after scoring two goals for Uruguay in ... - Telegraph.co.uk

But let us for a moment consider how exactly he has been received in England. This, remember, is a man who racially abused one fellow professional and bit another. What possible cause could any of us have to find fault? He is a modern day saint. Presumably he imagines in Spain or Italy that such minor indiscretions would be barely remarked upon, that they would pass without notice.

There is no denying, given the nature of his crimes and the overheated footballing culture, in England there was substantial reaction to what he did. Crowds did boo him. The FA did ban him. Opinion givers in the media did suggest he should be let go, sent elsewhere to cause havoc. But what did he expect? Indeed, in the interview he gave which was played out when he received the Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year award in May (he showed his upmost respect for English football culture by not actually managing to attend the event in person) he suggested that the criticism was justified and he had learned from his errors, becoming a better player as a result. So really we did him a turn.

Besides at Liverpool the support for him was unwavering. The fans at Anfield recognised from the start what, slowly and reluctantly, became accepted around the country: that he really is an exceptional talent who ultimately brightens our football. A game with Suárez in is almost inevitably more exciting than one without him. As was demonstrated so starkly in Uruguay’s two performances at this World Cup Cup, this is a player who makes a difference. And that is something everyone can recognise.

A month after being showered in recognition for his performance by the English game, however, there he is playing the victim. Of course, players need to source their own motivation before matches. And there is no question Suárez looked motivated on Thursday night. Unlike an England team who appeared cowed by the collective sense of responsibility, he played like someone who had been dining exclusively on raw meat. There was such passion, determination and resolve in his approach.

After an injury that would have curtailed most, Suárez played with a fury that tore England apart. If that came from an intention to silence his critics, then it was a rich source of inspiration. Steve Peters, England’s motivational guru whose star has fallen through association with this England, should take note: however ridiculous it may seem, a cause is not a bad thing for a sportsman to have.

Football is renowned for its fondness for a siege mentality, Uruguayan football particularly so. After all, they achieved their most famous victory after applying it. Ahead of the last game of the World Cup in 1950, the Brazilian paper O Mondo printed a front page picture of the Brazil side under the headline: These are the world champions. The Uruguay captain Obdulio Varela took a copy of the paper into the Maracana dressing room and invited his team-mates to urinate on it. We’ll see who are the champions at the end of this was his rallying call. It worked: there weren’t many Brazilians laughing at the end of that particular 90 minutes.

Nor, in truth, were there many English people laughing after Suárez’s barnstorming brace in Sao Paulo on Thursday.

Though there may have been a few – like the chap in the Jimmy wig waving a saltire in the middle of the Uruguay fans in Sao Paulo – back in Britain celebrating. Kenny Dalglish, for instance, will probably now produce a celebratory T-shirt to mark Suárez’s performance.

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