Thumbs up from Suarez as shamed striker is greeted by fans at his home in Uruguay...
Disgraced Luis Suarez received a hero's welcome when he appeared
on the balcony of his home after being kicked out of the World Cup. The
shamed striker was sent back to Uruguay after being hit with a nine-game
international ban and four-month suspension from all football for
biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini last Tuesday.
Disgraced
Luis Suarez received a hero’s welcome when he appeared on the balcony of
his home after being kicked out of the World Cup.
The
shamed striker was sent back to Uruguay after being hit with a
nine-game international ban and four-month suspension from all football
for biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini last Tuesday.
But standing on the deck of his home in Lagomar, near Montevideo, the 27-year-old looked unperturbed by the ordeal.
Some might say he even looked happy to be home, giving a thumbs-up to admirers who had gathered.
Thumbs up: Luis Suarez gestures to fans from the balcony of his home, near Montevideo
Wearing a hooded grey top, smiling Suarez was accompanied by his children Benjamin and Delfina.
His
return came as his team-mates trained in Rio ahead of their clash with
Colombia and news that Liverpool are set to sell him to Barcelona for
£80million.
Earlier in the day fans flocked to Carrasco International Airport to greet the arrival of the banned striker.
Uruguayan President Jose Mujica was even there at one point but left when he heard Suarez’s flight from Brazil had been delayed.
Because
of the delay, the crowd of about 1,000 fans were moved from the airport
terminal to an adjacent air force base to await his arrival.
Angry: Uruguay national coach Oscar Tabarez claims the forward has been made a worldwide scapegoat by FIFA
The
Uruguayan Football Association are preparing an appeal against the
severity of the sentence, which also includes a £64,000 fine and
national coach Oscar Tabarez claimed the forward had been made a
worldwide scapegoat by FIFA.
During
an extraordinary press conference at the Maracana on Friday evening,
Tabarez read a pre-prepared 13-minute statement to claim that pressure
from the English media forced FIFA to ban him for four months.
The
Uruguay coach then immediately quit his position on FIFA’s technical
committee and told Suarez that he has the full support of his country’s
people.
Rapturous reception: Luis Suarez was joined by his children as he greeted the army of fans who had gathered
Tabarez
said: ‘Many times you forget the scapegoat is a person who has rights
and that in this specific case, besides the mistakes and faults he has
committed, he has made significant contributions on the pitch. It is the
contribution made by great football players is essential.
‘As
a coach and a professor, and as a former teacher, I am presented with
the theory of the scapegoat. You know what I am talking about, of giving
a punishment, to someone who commits a transgression, not a crime.
‘We
know the protagonists and not only because of the profile he has
because of the mistakes, but there is another side to him. That is a
message: the severity was excessive.
‘Perhaps I
do have the answers but like many people, those who not only have to
make disciplinary decisions - who wins? Who loses? Who benefits? Who is
harmed? Who got things their way?
‘To
one of these questions, I will not give you a final answer, but I will
try to find a response. On the basis of these exaggerated decisions,
only with decisions of this nature I doubt it. After the Suarez and
Chiellini episode we have seen other things measured with a different
measure.
‘When
that happens we have the omission because not all cases have to do with
the transgression with indiscipline. Unavoidably this leads to
exaggeration in terns if punishment.
Acknowledging his fans: Luis cradled his daughter as he waved to fans from his balcony
‘We should punish and sanction, but one must always give the opportunity to hear from the person.’
Tabarez
was highly critical of the FIFA’s disciplinary panel after they failed
to give Suarez the chance to speak for himself after the incident with
Chiellini.
FIFA’s
strict regulations rule Luis from any involvement in football mean he
cannot even watch Liverpool or Uruguay in action — he is banned from
football stadiums and must train alone away from Liverpool’s Melwood
training ground.
Suarez can be sold during his spell in football exile — a strong possibility — but cannot personally join in negotiations.
Barcelona
have made it clear that Suarez’s ban does not impact on their intention
to sign him and Liverpool have already started to get replacements.
Liverpool
are taking specialist legal advice, while the striker’s lawyer
Alejandro Balbi was in Barcelona to discuss his client’s future
Adam
Lallana will become a Liverpool player in the next 48 hours after
Southampton relented and accepted a £25million offer for the England
forward, four weeks after receiving the call from Anfield officials.
Showing their support: Fans carrying banners waited outside Luis Suarez's home after he returned home from the World Cup
Backing their man: Luis Suarez has been hit with a nine-game international ban and four-month suspension
Liverpool have also launched a bid to sign Lazar Markovic from Benfica.
Following
this third, high-profile biting incident, it is no surprise that
Suarez’s major sponsor Adidas are thinking of ditching him. He has
already been punished for racially abusing Patrice Evra and biting
Branislav Ivanovic.
A
statement said: ‘Adidas does not condone Luis Suarez’s recent behaviour
and we will again be reminding him of the high standards we expect from
our players. We have no plan to use Suarez for any additional marketing
activities during the World Cup. We will discuss all aspects of our
future partnership directly with Suarez and his team after the
tournament.’
Another
of Suarez’s backers, 888poker, are likely to drop him, with a spokesman
saying: ‘888poker is seriously reviewing its relationship with the
player as we will not tolerate unsporting behaviour.’
The
independent FIFA disciplinary committee, chaired by Claudio Sulser of
Switzerland, reached the decision to hand Suarez a World Cup record ban
after 10 hours of talks spread over Wednesday night and Thursday
morning before it was announced at FIFA’s daily briefing at the
Maracana.
The player and the Uruguay FA had been informed minutes beforehand. The suspension starts with immediate effect.
Causing England havoc: Luis Suarez scored the winner in Uruguay's 2-1 win over Roy Hodgson's side
The
committee took into account that it was not the first time Suarez had
bitten an opponent. His first victim was PSV Eindhoven’s Otman Bakkal in
2010, for which he received a seven-match ban, and then Chelsea’s
Ivanovic in 2013, which brought a 10-game ban.
Sulser
said: ‘Such behaviour cannot be tolerated and in particular not at a
World Cup when the eyes of millions are on the stars on the field. The
disciplinary committee took into account all the factors of the case and
the degree of Mr Suarez’s guilt in accordance with the relevant
provisions of the code.’
The
Uruguayan media claimed that Sulser’s committee had come under pressure
from South American football chiefs, including the English-hating
Argentinian football president Julio Grondona, not to punish Suarez too
severely.
Will Suarez wear a Liverpool shirt again?: Despite the controversy Barcelona are still keen to sign the striker
But
FIFA insisted that there was no interference at all in the process. The
world body’s president Sepp Blatter had been in Manaus watching
Switzerland beat Honduras and flew back to Rio while the Suarez hearing
was going on.
Meanwhile,
the Football Writers’ Association, who made Suarez their player of the
year last season, decided not to strip the Liverpool star of his title.
Uruguay
face Colombia in the last 16 on Saturday Central defender Jose Maria
Gimenez said the team were ‘more united than ever’, while the country’s
sports minister Liliam Kechichian commented: ‘We are hurt by this
excessive sanction. Now let’s see how we can help this human being and
whether the group can show its class and its love for La Celeste.’
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