By RYAN TOLMICH
Luis Suarez is a constant lighting rod for media attention, and the controversial Uruguayan has drawn the ire of the English media yet again with another bite claim.
The Barcelona forward, who scored two goals in his side’s 2-1 victory over Manchester City Tuesday, was accused of biting yet again by the English media after the forward’s head came near defender Martin Demichelis. The Man City defender was seen extending his arm toward Suarez and UEFA stated that “nothing was mentioned in the [referee’s] report, and no action is being taken”.
“He [Demichelis] put his hand on my throat,” Suarez said on Uruguyan radio.“I do not understand why they [the English media] want to do this. They want to make trouble. They must be hurt after what I did to them in the World Cup but they forget that I played in England and they should show me some respect.”
Here are some more of Wednesday evening’s news and notes:
ENGLISH FA CHAIRMAN PUSHES FOR VIDEO REPLAYS
If English FA Chairman Greg Dyke has his way, video replay will be introduced into the game sooner rather than later.
Dyke is pushing for the introduction of a replay system that would see an assistant referee watch a match vie television while communicating with the head official. The Dutch FA is hoping to trial the system in cup competition, and Dyke says he will support the development at an upcoming meeting of the game’s rule-makers.
“I believe we will look back in 20 years’ time and say: ‘Wasn’t it quaint that we didn’t use the available technology to help referees’,” Dyke said. “I think the referees themselves are now up for trying it out somewhere. Slowly and gradually it needs to be done, as you could disrupt the game completely if you are not careful.
“The Dutch also say they have something which can tell you offsides instantly which could be useful. I hope it will be agreed that we can have a big trial of it somewhere — but we won’t put forward the Premier League.”
Dutch FA spokesman Koen Adriaanse told Press Association Sport detailed the development further, stating that the replay system will only be used in major situations in an effort to not disrupt the flow of play.
“We are supporters of technology to assist referees in the decision-making process and our first experiences are positive,” Adriannse said. “We believe that a video assistant can support a referee in order to make more correct decisions.
“It is only for us in decisive situations — penalties, fouls before goals, red cards — and it is not only there to show wrong decisions, but also to support the referee in decisions that are right.”
PARMA PAYING WAY TO TRAVEL TO GENOA
Parma captain Alessandro Lucarelli is a man of his word.
The centerback stated earlier this week that the players were willing to pay their own way in order to make their trip for this weekend’s matchup with Genoa. The team is prepared to do just that, although they are yet to find a place to stay.
“We’ll go up there in four or five cars,” Lucarelli said according to Gazetta. “We’ll get there somehow. That’s not going to be a problem. We want to play, like we wanted to play on Sunday. All we’ve got to work out now is where to stay.”
Parma’s previous fixture was canceled do to the club’s ongoing bankruptcy issues. Players and staff have not been paid since summer and the club has changed ownership twice in the past year.
GREECE SUSPENDS PLAY OVER CROWD VIOLENCE
Professional soccer will not be played in Greece until further notice.
Greece’s professional leagues have been suspended indefinitely in an effort to crackdown on fan violence. The decision follows a pitch invasion in last weekend’s Athens Derby, while a league board meeting ended in a brawl Tuesday.
“What we have been informed is that the Super League and the Football League have been suspended indefinitely,” said Super League president Giorgos Borovilos. “We have a new government who are looking to bring this subject up for discussion and implement state laws related to it.”
The most recent case marks the third time this year Greece’s league has been shut down following previous incidents in September and November.
So Suarez is clearly a fan of instituting the replay so everyone can see him “not bite” people.
English press is so desperate to write sports stories to sell newspapers, that they are getting as bad as FOX News!!!
FIFA favors the money makers, while smaller nations like Uruguay get screwed. Violent players like De Jong and Marquez continue their brutal ways without punishment.
Haha, yeah it’s too bad he plays for a tiny club like Barca. Fifa hates them.
That’s credit of tiny nation…might tiny in population (in COMEGOL) but giantic in national pride.
“La Patria o la Tumba!”
How is the green sky in your world? While are rough players who should be punished when they go overboard, what Suarez did was so bizarrely out of the ordinary/strange and unsanitary, he had to be reprimanded.
Suarez (and Uruguay) is a victim of his own actions.
while suarez’s comment borders on cristiano’s “they hate me because i’m handsome” line in terms of lack of self-awareness, i understand his frustration here.
no one in good faith thought that suarez was actually trying to bite demichelis. the sports media, as usual, were trying to make something out of nothing.
If I had to pick one of them based on integrity and honesty I’d pick Luis Suarez over the English “press” any day .
Good to see Suarez biting back at the media for spreading misinformation.
Well played.
On Video Replays it seems like it’ll work for more definite decisions like offside or not (sometimes) or balls in and out of play. However for more subjective decisions it depends greatly on who the man in the van is, and what his foul threshold is, because if it’s wildly different from the man in the middle it will not work well. Why don’t we get an iPad or something down to the referee in the middle, it’s his game he should make the decisions.
Or we can go the other way, have lawyers from each team in the box and a judge, and we’ll handle every play case by case. Some games may last a few days but hey, it’s very very important we get these plays right because fans who have nothing else in their lives depend on it.
Luis Suarez is simply the best active football player.
I’m sure if Liverpool had Suarez this season they would be still playing Champions League football now. The guy is true goal scorer and consistently shows up on the big occasion. What you guys think?
I agree. He deserves to be punished for the biting and other crazy stuff but from a pure footballing perspective, he’s one of the very best. Two clinical finishes on Tuesday reminded people who mostly watch the Premier League of that.
Now teams like Barcelona, instead of crowding around the referee asking that he give a card to the other team will now appeal to the “man in the van” to review the tape and give the other team’s player a straight red…
why would anyone accuse Suarez of biting +? Sooo gross and unfair
“They must be hurt after what I did to them in the World Cup”
… Or by the fact that you bit someone there. And the Eredivisie. And the Premier League. And probably again in La Liga, UCL, or international play. What an arrogant prick
People who are crazy rarely have the self-awareness to actually realize they are crazy. That is kind of the point. He should count himself lucky that he is extremely talented in a profession where talent trumps pretty much everything else. No one owes him any sort of respect, particularly the media.