Oct 08, 2012

Suarez treatment is wrong – Rodgers

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has hit back at critics of Luis Suarez after Uruguayan came under heavy criticism following Sunday’s draw with Stoke.

Stoke boss Tony Pulis labelled Suarez “an embarrassment” for the second half dive and also called for three-match bans for players who dive.

Earlier in the game Stoke defender Robert Huth had stamped on Suarez’s chest after bringing him down but the Football Association confirmed the incident was seen by officials during the match and therefore no further action can be taken.

“As manager of this football club I find it incredible that in nearly all the coverage about Luis Suarez this weekend, very little focus has been placed on the fact that he was actually the victim of a stamping incident within the first five minutes of the game,” said Rodgers.

“At this moment there seems to be one set of rules for Luis and another set for everyone else.

“Diving and simulation is obviously a wider issue in football and one that we all agree has to be eradicated from our game but there were other incidents this weekend that didn’t seem to generate the same coverage.

“No one should be distracted by the real issue here, both at Anfield and at another game played on Sunday, when Luis and another player were hurt in off-the-ball incidents that went unpunished but were caught on TV cameras.

“I believe some people need to develop a sense of perspective and I also believe in this moment the vilification of Luis is both wrong and unfair.

“I will continue to protect the values, spirit and people of this great club and game while searching for a consistent level of results in order to make progress on the field.

What does everyone else think of the treatment of Luis Suarez this season?

6 Comments
  • Gary Byrne

    It’s disgraceful, he is being vilified by the media, by other clubs with an agenda and mostly by officials who should really be above such lynch mob mentality. Yes he can sometimes go down a little lightly but then again so do most players in the premier league!

    • George

      Yes Gary, I agree with you. His `mauiling’ at Carrow Road by the Norwich defender was appalling, but I did think he went to ground, `a little lightly’ as you put it, was just about as close a dive as you will get (have seen the replay about ten times so my opinion is based on this). You will not find a more loyal Redmen supporter than me but saying `but then so do most players in the premier league’ does not make it right. What I am saying is that we/he should have had the penalty at Norwich but not on Sunday. I really don’t know the answer but we should look at Luis’s situation without blinkers and perhaps admit that he is not exactly lillywhite when trying to get something (con) a referee. And if you want proof of that have a look at almost any game in which he plays!!!! If he was not ours I am absolutely sure we would look at this differently.

      • JB

        I will agree with you that Suarez does not go down easily but some times its a real dive but i think its being exaggerated. I remember Ronaldo at one time was leveled a diver and that he goes down easily. But one thing i have noticed in the English game as Sylvia has said above it has no room for skilled players.

        I can say it boldly that Suarez is the most skilled player currently in the EPL and the most fouled player and at one time it was Ronaldo and i remember the complaints about him were almost the same.

        When you are a skilled player the opposing teams came with one thing in their mind kicking you (like what Valencia did to Messi in some CL final). May be if skilled players were protected a bit from those thugs like Huth the diving would reduce. But if Suarez was to stay on his feet he would not get a single free kick and he couldn’t last 4 weeks without getting an injured

  • Sylvia

    It’s the English public school mentality. Bullying is perfectly acceptable, but complaining about it is not. Unfortunately it has infected English football to the point that no one ever believes that anyone is ever hurt, unless they are actually bleeding or have a broken bone. The English have chosen brutality over skill, and the results speak for themselves. The famous British sense of fair play and playing by the rules is long gone. The real shame is that it corrupts kids into thinking that inflicting maximum punishment is the way to win games. It drives the skilled players out of the game and all you’re left with are thugs who can’t dribble or pass to save their lives.

  • julie

    wen it comes 2 liverpool playing ALL refs cant b bothered but if it happens 2 “MANUSHYTED” the refs r there like a bullet giving penalties & free kicks i think suarez is ALWAYS getting bullied 2 me i think they r trying 2 get him banned again i dont know how many times i counted him getting hurt in that 1 game why cant they just leave him alone & get on with the game i dont know wot has happened 2 english football now it use 2 b called right down the middle but now its all 1 sided id say bring back that ref that looks like an alien i hope u know who i mean as i cant remember his name i could swear but i know kids read these pages

    • George

      Hi Julie, the ref’s name was Pierluigi Cullina. Most, if not all, players today seem to be wanting to get an advamtage and it’s nothing new. When was the last time we saw a player actually take a throw in from the spot the ball went out of play or take the free kick from the actual spot where the foul was committed? They will, eventually, after the referee moves them back – and that’s my point, the players have come forward with their throw in, and with their free kick seeking an advantage. Diving, going to ground lightly – call it what you want, is no different. The player seeks to gain an advantage. I think, and we may not like it for a while, but the game could do with a period of `fussy’ or `overfussy’ regereeing where everything is jumped on by a referee which lets the players know he (the referee) is going to impose himself. We all like a game where the referee lets it flow BUT we don’t have that many ref’s who can do this at PL level. So just maybe we as spectators should suffer for a while whilst refs impose the basics again during a match, The diving issue would of course be in there somewhere and other than some form of video replay (which I don’t like) I have no answer. I love Louis like the rest of us, a great signing and unplayable on his day, but I have to say he is yet another who seeks to gain an advantage (see my post below to Gary Baker). I really don’t know, but I totally agree with you that he is slaughtered each and every game without much reward and so I suppose the odd dive is his way of trying to get something back. We MUST win at Anfield next week against Reading and then get back on track in the Europa game. YNWA!!!!!

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