An open letter to Luis Suarez
Dear Luis Suarez,
I sit here to write this letter with a heavy heart. It’s been quite a while since the Liverpool fans have taken a liking to a foreign player so much, especially after the unceremonious departure of El Nino to Chelsea. Fernand Torres- the man we loved, adored, worshipped went away to Chelsea to fulfil his ambitions of winning trophies.
Your arrival in January 2011 was seen as a support to Torres. A lethal combination upfront, but the unforeseen departure of Torres brought misery and pain to the club and its fans. But your magic and dedication made us all forget the agony that brought about Torres’ departure. You were our new hero, the hero we craved for. One who could give us hope, the belief, the assurance that the dark days will be over. Your footballing skills and dynamism on the field excited us. We were in awe of your talent. Your commitment and never-say-die attitude were the perfect traits to make you into an Anfield legend and bringing the glory days back to Liverpool.
But we all knew that you had a darker side. A darker side which led you to bite an opposition player while you were in Ajax. A deed which prompted you to move to Liverpool because you were banned for 7 matches for such a heinous offense. And that ugly, dark side cropped up in the racial abuse you hurled at Patrice Evra. Being your staunch supporter, I believed you when you said that the term you had used was misunderstood because of cultural differences in South America and England. Right or wrong we do not know, but yes you were our hero, a legend in the making, a person could bring smiles to faces of the Reds. You served an eight-match ban tarnishing the image of the club by this incident, even putting the great King Kenny in a false spot but the club, and its fans were there still supporting you
Your diving and complaining was going over the top. By each passing day it was becoming more blatant but we had a reason to fight for you. No matter how much the opposition and its fans complained we were there right behind you. We could not hear a word against you. Sometimes it became very tough to defend your actions and the heart used to cry out ‘WHY?’ but never, ever did we malign you. The media kept getting vocal because of your antics, criticising you at every juncture. You were a soft target, an easy one and your image was getting tarnished by the day.
The season 2012-2013 saw some of the best football played by you individually. There were the moments of genius which made us say that you were easily in the top-5 footballers in the world. 30 goals in all competitions with some unseen magic, passion and perseverance helped you to get nominated for the PFA Player of the Year award. Furthermore, the happiest thing for the fans were that your image was getting improved. The media was appreciating your effort and on and off the field and it was such a huge relief to see your achievements getting noticed.
But then came that one moment of madness, the moment of madness that we feared might show up, the moment of madness that we did not want to see. A blatant bite on Ivanovic’s arm ripped apart the image that you created for yourself. Moreover, it ripped apart the image of this great club, a club with such great history, a club which we are so proud of. We were disappointed by your actions. But, never once the thought of selling you crossed our mind. We went through the same storm that you did. Everytime you courted controversy upon yourself we faced an equal pressure from our peers, from our oppositions but never did the idea of parting ways from you crossed our mind.
But your recent comments have not only created unrest among the fans but also the administration. Listen, if you are really committed to the cause of ours, your statement should have been “I will stay and prove my worth and my football will answer my critics” rather than giving subtle hints and blaming the media for your departure. The biting incident was your fault completely and you could not have been pardoned because you had made the same mistake earlier while you were in Ajax. Blaming the media now is totally baseless, because you do not want to be termed as “traitor” by us, the fans. You realize you are in you your prime and it is the best opportunity to fulfil your personal ambitions. There is no reason beating about the bush while we pray that your hints are just “lost in translation” and you are actually committed to the club’s cause. If you have to leave just come out in open and say it.
The gates of Anfield have always protected its players in the time of need. But it has always opened when the time has come. Nobody is bigger than the club. And when the time comes again it shall open as strongly as ever to let you out, knowing someone else will come in whom it needs to protect. Someone who will be more committed and loyal to our cause. We have a squad to make and then move forward. Don’t impede our progress by your nuisances.
Your biggest fan ever!