World Cup Brazil 2014 / Weltmeisterschaft Brasilien

[Sweder]

High horse or no, I stand by my assertion that what Suarez has done on three occasions suggests an inherent malfunction that needs addressing before he takes the field. Of course, there's plenty of hysteria about. Gather that many journalists, give them unlimited air-time and webspace, not to mention caipirinhas and mojitos, you could whip up a revolution.

I can't argue against much of what EG says about the duality of morality in professional sport. FIFA is as bent as a nine-bob note. Players dive and roll and beg for one another to be carded at every turn. Heck, they even claim throw-ins when they know the ball touched them last. That sounds like a poor gag, but it's true. You see it at all levels. Football is morally bankrupt.

Leg-breaking, two-footed, over-the-ball challenges should be 'stamped out', but these and biting, elbowing, deliberately stamping on an opponent's instep (rife these days, known as 'leaving something on him') are not mutually exclusive. No-one doubts that a bite is usually less serious than a broken leg, yet surely both deserve punitive action. Suarez has a condition, an affliction. Far from suffering the consequences of his actions his club should sue him for potential lost revenue and fine him for the matches he misses. I feel some sympathy for Brendan Rodgers, but he knew what Suarez was like when he coaxed him into staying. Barca want him and I'm sure he'll move. The man tried to engineer a move to Arsenal just over a year ago. He sells platitudes to Liverpool fans about his love for the club whilst his agents flap their skirts at the Spanish giants. He wants away. He's a rare talent, a devil on the ball but he carries a rogue gene. You pays your money, you takes your choice.

If you're going to ban Cantona for eight months for kicking an abusive fan, you have to expect similarly ludicrous sentences for misdemeanours that cause public shock and outrage. I didn't hear too many crying about the length of Eric's sentence at the time.