Suarez Should Not Have Been Banned For Any Matches..........

[10ClarionSt]

...........he should have been banned sine die, and Liverpool FC deducted at least 6 points. How do you stop overpaid thugs from behaving like this? My perception of Suarez is that he is typical of the modern professional footballer - a complete hypocrite. They say all kinds of nasty things to each other on the pitch. You only have to look at the John Terry case for examples of that, and what did Mattarazzi say to Zidane? Look at how they re-act to referees and their decisions - and they have the brass nerve to wear a "Respect" badge on their shirts. Footballers, in a way, are like convicts in prison in that they are all innocent and never do anything wrong. Why did he do it? Why did he think no-one would see it? Why did he do it the first time in Holland? Because he knew he could only get a relatively small fine and banned for a few games. In other words, the deterrent is pathetic and should a lot more severe. Players know that and clubs know it. When there is a real deterrent and less hypocrisy, we might start to see some progress.

[VHG]

No football authority could ban a player for life for such an act as football is their livelihood and you cant deprive a person a chance to earn a living.

A decision of "ban for life" would be taken to a "proper" court and probably overturned, thus setting a precedent for all future "bans" to be challenged in the court.

The football authorities are scared stiff of any decision they make being taken to a proper court as once it is overturned it diminishes their authority and makes it harder for them in future to uphold bans.

btw. I would hardly say a 10 game ban is trivial, it is a quarter of a season and he wont play for 5 months (with the summer break).

I am not condoning what Suarez did, and I agree with you that football players have been getting away with some awful behaviour on the pitch for year.

I would like so see any player who "harangues" the ref sent off, and we may get more respect for refs like we get in Rugby.

p.s. One quote I heard years ago was "Rugby is a game for thugs played by gentlemen, and football is a game for gentlemen played by thugs".

[andy-hughes]

This has been discussed at length on other threads.

In a nutshell, you have an immature man who is incapable of appropriate behaviour, who happens to be the most talented footballer of his generation.

So he behaves badly and should be punished, but no appropriate punishment is available, or forthcoming because of the financial losses involved.

Football is reaping what it has sown - a culture where talented but boorish young men have no boundaries or incentive to behave like civilised human beings - because no-one ever imposes meaningful boundaries on their behaviour.

Children are as naughty as they are allowed to be - a lot of modern footballers are children in mens' bodies.

[brionon]

If he had gone in with both feet and broken someone's leg he wouldn't have got a ten match ban.!!