British media sink teeth into ‘cannibal’ Luis Suarez
23 April 2013 12:47 AM GMT
Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has been dubbed a ‘cannibal’ by British media after his shameful bite on Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic in a Premier League match on Sunday.
The Uruguayan could face heavy punishment from the Football Association when they begin an investigation into his assault on Ivanovic, which was missed by match referee Kevin Friend.
Television replays clearly showed the 26-year-old seizing Ivanovic’s forearm and sinking his teeth into it.
It was not the first time Suarez, who scored a stoppage time equaliser in a 2-2 draw, has been involved in a biting incident. He was previously banned in the Netherlands after biting the neck of PSV’s Otman Bakkal while playing for Ajax in 2010.
‘The Kop Cannibal’ was the Daily Mirror’s back page headline, a description also used by the Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph, both papers suggesting it was time Liverpool parted company with the controversial striker. Mass circulation tabloid The Sun said ‘Same Old Suarez, Always Eating’ while The Times back page said Suarez had ‘shamed’ the club which stood by him during a racism storm that saw him banned last season.
Manager Brendan Rodgers, who has backed Suarez to win the Player of the Year award, was initially reluctant to talk about the bite but said no player was bigger than the club.
‘Players are always replaceable, no matter how good they think they are,’ Rodgers said on Liverpool website. ‘The standards at this club have been met for many years and that’s why it is the worldwide institution that it is. It deserves to carry on that respect.’
The Uruguayan could face heavy punishment from the Football Association when they begin an investigation into his assault on Ivanovic, which was missed by match referee Kevin Friend.
Television replays clearly showed the 26-year-old seizing Ivanovic’s forearm and sinking his teeth into it.
It was not the first time Suarez, who scored a stoppage time equaliser in a 2-2 draw, has been involved in a biting incident. He was previously banned in the Netherlands after biting the neck of PSV’s Otman Bakkal while playing for Ajax in 2010.
‘The Kop Cannibal’ was the Daily Mirror’s back page headline, a description also used by the Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph, both papers suggesting it was time Liverpool parted company with the controversial striker. Mass circulation tabloid The Sun said ‘Same Old Suarez, Always Eating’ while The Times back page said Suarez had ‘shamed’ the club which stood by him during a racism storm that saw him banned last season.
Manager Brendan Rodgers, who has backed Suarez to win the Player of the Year award, was initially reluctant to talk about the bite but said no player was bigger than the club.
‘Players are always replaceable, no matter how good they think they are,’ Rodgers said on Liverpool website. ‘The standards at this club have been met for many years and that’s why it is the worldwide institution that it is. It deserves to carry on that respect.’
Next Story
