Liverpool striker Luis SuƔrez cannot be blamed for carrying out his job and acting like any other player would have
by Alan Hansen
Liverpool striker Luis SuƔrez cannot be blamed for carrying out his job and acting like any other player
Take Craig Gardner for Sunderland against Spurs last week. Would anyone have expected him to ask the referee to rescind the booking against Gareth Bale - a caution that earned the Tottenham player a suspension - and admit he did make contact and a penalty should have been awarded?
I was involved in an incident in the 1984 League Cup final against Everton. I was in my own penalty box, the ball hit my thigh and bounced onto my arm.
The penalty was not given. Are people saying I should have been running to the referee and telling him it might have been a spot kick?
So, you are trying to get away with fouls. Is that cheating too? Of course not. You are playing within the boundaries all the time, and it is for the officials to determine where there has been a misdemeanour.
There have been one or two situations where players have been acclaimed for their sportsmanship - Robbie Fowler telling the referee not to award a penalty against David Seaman in the early 1990s springs to mind. You will not find too many others.
Yesterday, SuƔrez simply followed the golden rule every youngster is taught when he first plays football. "Play to the whistle." If that whistle does not come, it's the fault of the referee, not the player.