Luis Suarez - A study in contrast

“When the seagulls follow the trawler, it’s because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea” - Eric Cantona

English football and its fans just love a villain and they find a perfect one in an Uruguay forward who plays at the Merseyside. And every time he does something objectionable, he becomes front page news quicker than Torres getting a goal. And while the galleries bay for blood, I would like to remind all and sundry of another man who wore a red jersey with the number ‘7’ on the back.

Eric Cantona, with his ludicrous talent and his Kung Fu skills, has been one of the most divisive figures in the beautiful game. He can be grouped along with Roy Keane as one of the most temperamental players to have graced the field. These men were of a different breed. They fed off their aggression and that made them the players they were. Another man seems to be falling into this category and yes, his name is Luis Suarez.

The diminutive marksman has been a driving force for Liverpool’s campaign this season. The current seventh position they occupy in the table has to be attributed to him. His work rate is fantastic and the runs he makes off the ball clear up spaces for his team. He has blistering pace and even though he occasionally frustrates with overuse of his skill on the ball, it can be compared to that of Iniesta and Ronaldo. It does not end here; he is a brilliant finisher and has the ability to lift his team and a stadium with his talent. Had it been any other player with considerably lesser ability, he would be a hero and be hailed as the future of the game (read Theo Walcott). This, though, has been the season where Suarez has announced himself to the world. He has scored 23 league goals already and chipped in with 5 assists too. The fact that he has been so proficient in front of goal with comparatively poor service speaks volumes of his ability.

Why then is the Uruguayan hated the way he is? The answer would be the number of controversies he leaves in his wake. It starts with his bite on PSV’s Ottman Bakal – he was banned for seven games after the incident. Then came his ‘Hand of God’ that dragged his team to the semi-finals of the world cup. Many admired his daredevilry, though I doubt if he would be a welcome man in the African continent. After he became a part of Anfield, he seemed to be the man who could drag them into the Champions League again but controversy struck, and he was banned for eight games for racially abusing United’s Patrice Evra.

Now to arrive at Suarez’s ‘Bitegate’. This is his second misdemeanor of a similar nature and the fact that he did it in the Premier League apparently raises it to the status of a war crime. And of course, the vigilantes of football are calling for his head (in some cases his teeth). The game, though, showed his mercurial nature. The cross he supplied to Sturridge for the opener on his first touch was one that Beckham (another number 7) would be proud of. Also, the way he headed in to earn The Kop a point would remind Liverpool supporters of Ian Rush. His handball to stop the ball reaching Torres was stupid and gave Chelsea a way back when Liverpool were ripping them apart. His bite on Ivanovic went unnoticed and Chelsea fans were left grinding their teeth when the number 7 displayed the same teeth in a smile which spread from ear to ear after he had equalized.

Most say that the ‘race’ row which engulfed him last season is a pointer to his unstable temperament. The last time I checked, a footballer’s temperament is gauged on how he performs and not how he speaks. Many say that due to his consistent antics, he is a player who disgraces the game. If a disgrace to the game plays the way he does, I hope every team has it’s own ‘disgrace’ to the game. Some would say he deserves a lifetime ban; Keane got away after breaking a leg, didn’t he? Unless Suarez is poisonous, the worst that could happen to Ivanovic is a sore bicep for a couple of days. Then there are others who say that English football does not need him. This is the opinion that is most laughable of all. In a league where half of the finesse and beauty comes from Manchester City and Chelsea, Suarez is a shining light of inspiration and inventiveness.

I do not say that the accused is not guilty. He is guilty, and should be punished as such. My objection is to the hoopla that surrounds all of it. It is obvious that in a moment of madness he made a mistake, but don’t we all? My objection is to the extreme reactions that emanate from cynics and critics. My objection is against the way that the vultures circle around the Liverpool striker even if he puts a half a foot (or hand) wrong. My objection is to the kangaroo courts set up which could very well drive away the South American from English shores. For me, he is an enigma, an enigma that is only better for the beautiful game.