Uruguay in denial over Suarez
Team, captain hint at sinister conspiracy
RIO DE JANEIRO — In Diego Lugano’s rather blinkered world, apparently, what happens on the pitch in Recife stays on the pitch in Recife.
“The worst of all was the attitude of (Giorgio) Chiellini,’’ sniffed the Uruguay captain, all high dudgeon and righteous indignation. “He is a great player, has had a great career and it is not normal in Italian football for a player to leave the pitch crying and accusing an opponent.
“He completely disappointed me as a man. I admired him.’’
Apparently, real men don’t cry foul.
Real men bite. Real men like Luis Suarez.
FIFA’s disciplinary committee, chaired by former Swiss striker Claudio Sulser, met Wednesday after giving the Uruguayan Football Association and Suarez a 5 p.m. local time deadline to submit evidence on behalf of the razortoothed striker in his tussle with Italian defender Chiellini in Tuesday’s decisive Group D match.
The Guardian reported that FIFA advisers were expecting at least a six-game ban for the striker’s third on-field bite but FIFA could also suspend him for up to 24 matches or a maximum of two years.
“We have to resolve it either today or tomorrow,” FIFA disciplinary panel member Martin Hong told reporters Wednesday. “It’s our duty to see justice done.” Well, that’d be a start, anyway. In the wake of yet another Suarez firestorm, Uruguayans have predictably gone into complete denial mode, pretending the incident never happened or was, in fact, nothing out of the ordinary. Diego Lugano, for example. “What incident?’’ he retorted when asked about it by BBC Sport. “The pictures don’t show anything. They show an approximation. Are you talking about the Premier League or the national team.
“Have you got something against Luis? Everybody knows the British media have an issue with Suarez. It must sell newspapers in England. Otherwise you wouldn’t be here.’’
Nice try, Diego, but it’s an old con game — deflecting blame onto innocent parties. While it’s true the British press does like to play things up and Suarez’s career at Liverpool hasn’t exactly been what you’d call free of idiotic behaviour, the idea of an anti-Suarez campaign is far-fetched in the extreme.
If there’s hysteria over Suarez, whose barbarous acts started the hysteria in the first place?
The Uruguayan FA went so far as to claim the bite marks on Chiellini’s shoulder were “photoshopped” and his lawyer chalked the whole ugly incident up to some sinister “European conspiracy.”
The way they’re portraying it, this is nothing more than a smear campaign to railroad poor, innocent Luis out of the World Cup. Now that’s a stretch. Suarez should be dealt with. Quickly. Tucking your teeth into an opponent’s flesh is a despicable act that leaves a stain on the game.