Honestly, this whole World Cup thing is just reinforcing us Americans thinking soccer is bullshit.
That England goal thing (though England would’ve lost anyway), Ghana getting fucked, the diving, the US getting screwed on that offsides call, the free kick system, archaic rules, archaic enforcement of rules, and the lack of technology helping the game in ways that don’t affect actual game playing.
Here’s to hoping Germany wins, FIFA gets changed, and vuvuzelas are banned forever.
No, sometimes it’s called defending.
I was in Suarez’s exact situation once and did exactly what he did. (Well not exactly, but near enough it makes no difference.) There is no calculation in it, no subterfuge or lie in the action. I wasn’t trying to “get away” with anything. It’s simply competitive instinct and it’s done in full view. The rules account for this and understand what competition is. I see no difference between Suarez’s handball and Harry Kewell’s also against Ghana (Gyan made that pk btw,) except for the fact that Kewell protested like a lying little girl while Suarez did not (although Suarez did the lamest “who me?” I’ve ever seen.)
Now if you want to change the rules, that’s fine. But being competitive is not cheating, not when everyone can see exactly what you are doing. In many ways what Suarez did was more honorable than Kewell’s, Fabiano’s, Henry’s, Torsten Frings’, or Diego Maradonna’s handballs, because he did it overtly. It wasn’t about deceiving the officials.
You’ll be happy to know though that my team lost that game, btw.
hong
1823
I am not sure that it’s all that “instinctive” to block a shot with your hand. This is a sport where you never, ever use your hand; this guy must have played like 10000000 hours of it; blocking shots like that should have been drilled out of him by now. It’s not like he’s a no-name backyard/park player who only plays on weekends.
What he did is called a “professional foul”. In other sports, like rugby, that sort of thing can be rewarded with a penalty try. In football a penalty is almost the same thing, I guess.
Another thing that someone may have brought up but which I missed: Suarez misses the next game against the Netherlands, and I think Uruguay may want all hands on deck for that one.
Eh, I’m pretty sure they were fucked with or without him.
You’re right about the diving, and I don’t like it, but almost every team seems to do it so I can’t get down on them too much for it. I’m pretty into the German game, too, and I think I’m going to cheer them on the rest of the way. Though, my buddy just moved out to Amsterdam and I’m sure he’s having a fucking blast with the way things are going for the Dutch, so I’m throwing some support for them as well.
I think that’s valid for some Americans, but personally, this is the 2nd World Cup I’ve followed, and I’m getting into it. I could see myself starting to follow the sport for real, because I’m sure it’s more rewarding to watch all this go down when you actually know all the players and what they’re good at. I can’t think of any other sporting event as dramatic as this. Then again, I’m the kind of American who likes hockey.
Well, the Dutch play without Dejong (who has been fucking MIGHTY on defense in the midfield for them so far this tourney), Van Der Weil (who’s been solid on the back line, other than that Robinho fiasco) and possibly even Mathijsen (hurt his knee in pregame warmups). Haven’t seen much on the extent of Math’s injury, but that’s three rather important cogs of a surprisingly tough, tenacious and frequently well-organized Dutch defense to be sitting against Uruguay.
Where did I say any of that? It’s still cheating even if other players might do the same.
I just don’t think it should be encouraged by the rules, or celebrated by the fans. Like diving and professional fouls, it’s not something I want to see in the game.
99.9% of players at that level would do the exact same thing. That doesn’t make them hateable save babies.
I don’t believe that’s true, and you certainly can’t prove it. But here’s an example of a last minute goal that cost Bayern Munich the Champion’s League final to Manchester United, and the defender on the goal line didn’t even raise his hands as it went past his head. I think for many players cheating isn’t instinctive, and we should encourage that through proper rules and not celebrating the cheaters.
You are, by definition, wrong.
If you did the same as Suarez, you cheated.
There’s not just one kind of cheating, the dishonest kind where you try to hide what you do and get away with it. There’s instinctive cheating, where you don’t even think before you cheat. There’s blatant cheating, where you cheat without even trying to cover up what you do. But it’s all cheating. By definition.
Would Henry’s or Maradona’s handball not be cheating if they’d only appeared to be hiding what they were doing, but actually weren’t? No, they cheated. They deliberately broke the rules to gain an advantage.
There’s nothing honourable about cheating.
And just in case you still don’t think it’s cheating, here’s Sepp Blatter, head of FIFA on the use of hands:
It’s an interesting article, especially in the light of what happened. He also said:
“We have to take a responsibility to make sure Fifa’s World Cup in Africa will be played according to the rules of the game and the spirit of fair play,”
Unfortunately it’s being defined by cheating and bad refereeing.
JM1
1832
He took the goal away. His punishment was the red card - meaning a suspension from the next game, and an inability to take part in the penalty shootout - AND the concession of a penalty kick which could (should!) have rendered his act meaningless.
I wish people would stop crying about the fact that Suarez was in a position where the game situation and the laws of the game meant that he did the right fucking thing which every single player would’ve done, and every teammate would’ve praised him for.
Again, this is not an uncommon scenario and I’ve never seen players abused for it. They literally have no choice.
JM1
1833
Hey Tim, if you’re going to dismiss my Roy Keane quote, then I sure as hell can laugh at you quoting Sepp fucking Blatter.
The spirit of fair play involves not trying to con the ref, which is Blatter’s pet hate right now. It’s not really about “not breaking the laws of the game”, because if that’s the case then there’s has been a footballer who plays to the spirit of fair play for decades.
JM1
1834
2007 World Cup final. Mathew Tait makes a searing break, steps about 5 players, is tackled 2 metres from the line. Schalk Burger, a World Player of the Year winner, deliberately comes round offside and tries to kill the ball to prevent a try.
Cheating? Breaking the laws of the game, sure. But smart play from Burger. He broke the laws of the game knowing the punishment may well be less severe than letting England score. The only person at fault at that time was the ref for not sin-binning him. No-one started abusing Burger for doing the right thing.
Cheating would be, say, faking a blood injury with the use of blood capsules, like the team I support did a year ago.
Hey Tim, if you’re going to dismiss my Roy Keane quote, then I sure as hell can laugh at you quoting Sepp fucking Blatter.
The head of the organisation that defines the rules of football says all deliberate handballs are cheating.
One of the biggest cheats in football, who thinks deliberately breaking a player’s leg is perfectly acceptable behaviour, thinks it’s not cheating.
There’s no contest. Suarez is a cheat by definition.
I agree with what Roy Keane said about Henry, but on this issue I’m basically with Tim. There’s a reason you never see players diving like keepers - it’s completely against the spirit of the game. I’d be pretty embarrassed if any team I supported won that way.
That said, the conversation wouldn’t be happening if Gyan had scored the penalty. A red card with penalty is already as harsh a penalty as any ref can mete out, though I’d definitely support FIFA if they were to impose a longer suspension after the fact.
shame everyone is so focused on the outcome rather than the event - that was by some margin the best game of the world cup, absolutely astonishing. it had everything that football should be about. that was the football i love. i just wish two teams played like that in the same match more often.
JM1
1838
By definition, every footballer on the pitch is a cheat. Round and round we go.
Sepp Blatter also thinks John Terry should be applauded for fucking his mate’s girlfriend. He thinks women footballers should be made to wear tight shorts and tops. He thinks Ireland should be given “moral compensation”. He compared professional footballers and the transfer system to slavery.
Sepp Blatter is a fuckwit.
hong
1839
1991 World Cup final. England have an overlap on their left (Australia’s right). The pass goes out to the winger. David Campese, in an offside position, knocks the ball down, preventing what would have been an almost certain touchdown. I sure remember people at the time saying it should have been a penalty try.
JM1
1840
And no-one thinks Campese is a filthy cheat - just a great player with a big mouth.
I’m still laughing at Sepp Blatter being held up as someone who’s an authority on fair play. He’s got to be one of the most corrupt people in sport.
