Well, he can rest assured that this is just an exaggeration. It is just England out to get him.
He did not exactly endear himself to a nation obsessed with fair play (unless it’s one of their own gaining an advantage) when he brazenly handled the ball on the line of the World Cup quarter final in 2010 against Ghana.
That act, followed by his celebrations as Asamoah Gyan missed the subsequent penalty, were unashamed and angered many a neutral in England. Poor Luis. And now he is facing two disciplinary charges from the FA. One is for allegedly racially abusing Patrice Evra, the other for sticking his finger up at Fulham fans.
Kenny Dalglish is aggrieved, and one can understand to an extent why when Suarez is charged for the same offence that John Terry is still under investigation for. But the England captain, representing the country, has yet to face censure. Maybe they’re hoping we all forget about it? And when England then appealed Wayne Rooney’s three match ban by UEFA, Dalglish was seething.
The media though, like to highlight the misdemeanours of Suarez. He has replaced the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Didier Drogba as the foreigner we love to hate. The English have to have a foreigner who is easy to accuse of cheating, diving, and every other awful habit never practised by one of their own.
Suarez unfortunately, is having to deal with this status. It is what comes from the combination of being incredibly skilled and able to embarrass many a hard nosed defender, and also brazen and confident enough to both get try to and then get away with what can be. Suarez of course, comes from Uruguay, via Ajax, and on the South American continent, the mentality is the complete opposite. There diving is an art form of sorts, accepted and passed off with apathy.
Suarez seems the victim of circumstance. Through no real fault of his own, other than being entirely unused to the English culture, which as someone in this country for less than a year is hardly a crime, he is the man the media and fans love to hate.
Luckily for Liverpool, he seems to have the mentality to deal with it and thrive, as Ronaldo did. With his skill and flair, he is able to conjure up something as though from nothing, and this trait will serve him well at Anfield. We may have found a new foreigner to despise for doing things which English players do quite regularly themselves, but we will have to get used to the Uruguayan – he won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
