Not for the first time this season, Liverpool footballing hope Luis Suarez is coming in for criticism over stamping. Where’s the Mario Balotelli style media witch hunt then…?
Initially in his English career it was blatant diving, rapidly followed by racism that the talented Scouse saviour was renowned for but his screeching turf plummeting has begun to become eclipsed by clear and present stamping on opponents that thus far he has escaped any punishment for.
Sound football men David Moyes and Roberto Martinez have both cried foul over unsanctioned Suarez stamps against Everton and Wigan this autumn.
Would that he were superstar City striker Mario Balotelli who after a far less clear cut incident which involved Tottenham’s Scott Parker at The Etihad last Spring found himself on the receiving end of massive media wide condemnation.
Take Match of The Day for example where last night the BBC’s usual ‘Liverpool Protectorate’ was broken up by the presence of ambassadorial City Captain Vincent Kompany.
Despite the erudite Martinez’s calm and absolutely correct assertions that Suarez shouldn’t have been on the pitch to secure another Liverpool win, there were no repeat Balotelli-ism all angle showings of his blatant stamping challenge on David Jones or calls for a retrospective ban. The laissez faire pattern has continued into the Sunday papers.
Last month Suarez did for Sylvain Distin and Kevin Mirallas in similar fashion and the Uruguayan benefitted from another tsunami of turned blind eyes. If memory serves, only Dietmar Hamman in the Scouse camp dared to suggest that Suarez should have been sent off. Meanwhile Brendan Rodgers has picked up the Kenny Dalglish baton that reads ‘Suarez can do no wrong.’
Pontificating hacks and pundits are increasingly fond of pointing out Football Association inconsistencies but ever since His Highness Sheikh Mansour came to town, ‘The Street of Shame”s negative pursuit of all things Manchester City, and in particular Mario Balotelli has beggared belief.
The erstwhile ‘Big Four’ evidently still have a legion of friends in the press box, but why the glaring lack of hysteria over blatant Suarez foul play to that afforded towards Balotelli?
UPCOMING FIXTURES
all times East Manchester
We 21 Nov 19h45 Real Madrid, The Etihad, CL
Su 25 Nov 16h00 Chelsea, Stamford Bridge, PL
We 28 Nov 20h00 Wigan, DW Stadium, PL
Sa 01Dec 15h00 Everton, The Etihad, PL
Tu 04Dec 19h45 B Dortmund, Signal Iduna Park, CL
Su 09Dec 13h30 The rags, The Etihad, PL
Sa 15Dec 12h45 Newcastle, St James’ Park, PL
Sa 22Dec 15h00 Reading, The Etihad, PL
We 26Dec 15h00 Sunderland, Stadium of Light, PL
Sa 29Dec 15h00 Norwich, Carrow Road, PL
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