4 Mar 2012

VIDEO: Did Luis Suarez feign injury to win a penalty against Arsenal...?

Rightly or wrongly, Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has developed a reputation for 'going down too easily' during his time at Anfield, and yesterday, he went down under a 'challenge' from Arsenal's goalkeeper, which resulted in Liverpool winning a penalty. Was Suarez actually scythed down as his reaction suggests, or did the Uruguayan International make the most of the situation?

As regular readers of this site will know, I abhor cheating in all its forms, especially diving, and I always highlight blatant examples of cheating, even if it involves Liverpool players.

I'm not saying that Suarez actually dived, I'm just opening up the question for debate. Take a look at the video below:



Suarez goes down clutching his right shin, but I'm struggling to see contact that warrants such a pained reaction. Szczęsny clearly pulls out of the challenge, and there doesn't appear to be much contact with Suarez's shin, at least not enough to make him writhe around in such pain. Of course, a different angle of the incident could show something different.

Co-commenting on the game for Sky Sports, Former Liverpool player Jim Beglin argued that Suarez made the most of it. He said:

"There might have been a little bit of contact as Szczęsny tries to pull out of it, but I think Suarez is looking to make the most of it; as soon as he plays the ball, he's looking for an excuse to go down. It was theatrical enough. That's the way it is nowadays - if there's any sort of contact the player will be going down"

What do you think?



Jaimie Kanwar


40 comments:

  1. from what ive seen there is obvious contact so therefore is a penalty. suarez may go to ground alittle easily but i wouldnt say it was a dive

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  2. TV replays proved contact.Rules say if there is intent then a foul can be given! Did the keeper play the ball no, did his motion carry him into Suarez's path yes it did, the fact he moved his leg his the reason Suarez was caught on his shin. May be it was a bit of friction burn that hurt Suarez when their shins came together!  

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  3. You can definitely see the contact, as he leg wobbles from the impact. Was he looking for it? Yes. Did he go down "too easily"? Yes. Suarez is a lot like vintage C-Ron, in as much as he tends to get targeted during matches yet is also known to go down screaming at the slightest touch. Both these things feed into one another and, ultimately, make the player stronger once they stop with the theatrics. But is is nice to see when they're your player? Not for me.

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  4. Tornike Khomeriki9:13 pm, March 04, 2012

    I see no contact there. his body is set for a dive just after he moves the ball away (probably too far), and then he leaps in the air as if he was slashed.

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  5. It could be that it's the Premier League refs have got it wrong? Attempting to kick or attempting to trip a player can all be given has fouls which has happened plenty of times to Suarez. Could be why mainly foreign players think they can get away with going over easily because they believe they have been impeded and why European ref's are so hard on English teams for the slightish touch our refs don't know the rules!
    Or it could be FIFA that need to change their rules and only contact can be given has a foul!

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  6. Of course he went down like a little b#$%h but all the deluded lemmings will say he did not.. but these are the same clowns that think Dalgish actually a competent manager!

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  7. It's a penalty. But Suarez definitely makes the most of it. Pretty standard and I hate it, but if you don't pretend you are scythed you get nothing.

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  8. If you ride a challenge in the Prem you get nothing, he played like any decent striker from pub football to Serie A should do he took an opportunity presented to him from a keeper tackling and missing the ball by quite some way. WP Luis CLEAR PEN. Page filler vote topic IMO.

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  9. Both Jamie Redknapp and Alan Smith after watching the incident several times declared that the ref got it spot on

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  10. Gareth Bale dived last wseek Suarez was fouled but made a bit much of it. End of.

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  11. this is ridiculous Tornike look at the video. you saw no contact who are you Arsene Wenger. 

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  12. he made the most of it, but you have to now days otherwise you will not get the penalty you deserve and it was a penalty.

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  13. Jamie is a laughable pundit. An absolute joke but suits the agenda i guess

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  14. Sadly, Suarez is a annoying cheat of a player

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  15. takes an annoying person to know one I guess. . . Man U fan at a guess lol.

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  16. he dived he had no intention of getting the ball once he touched it away..  the keeper pulled away yes there was contact but Suarez chose to seek contact by sticking is leg out.. he could had easily avoided the contact and with his reputation as an diving suspect when he goes to the grass he should be always questioned.. but god forbid Suarez receiving any penalty against him after the Evra saga.. (Sarcasm)

    intention and player reaction should overrule everything when a diving suspect is concerned.. I have a great hate against consistently theatrical footballers and if the FA pulled their own weight these suspect would be punished severely.. how are handball treated much more seriously.. 

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  17. 'takes an annoying person to know one I guess' and 'lol'

    such a mature riposte(!) you must not have reached double figure yet i guess, bless.

    I am neither a Liverpool or Man Utd fan, for the record.

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  18. how did he stick his leg out??? it was so fast that he couldn't have possibly stuck his leg out. I don't think he had the motive to think "im going to get a penatly because the goalie is coming out, better stick my leg out". He felt the contact, and did his best act to get the ref to reward one. Im a fan and I didn't like his reaction, but I don't think he had that predetermined thought to cheat for a penalty, classic example is the Bale dive vs Liverpool. He already had it in his head that he was gonna dive, and even knew he dived because he started complaining to the ref for a foul. 

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  19. Just a bitter then? 

    The majority of your posts reek of vitriol and resentment, an aloofness in your writing to give yourself a sense of grandeur, clearly angry at the world, and probably spend your days moaning, berating and criticising this and that to the quiet resentment of those around you who just wish you'd shut up. (close to the bone?)Your comments are usually negative and pointless with no substance and/or explanation. My "riposte" as you retorted, no doubt following racking your brains for a seemingly intelligent yet snide attempt to belittle me is in itself exceptionally immature and shows a fundamental level of insecurity a real keyboard warrior. In regard to your apparent disdain at the use of "lol". It is a now very common inclusion in modern day forum and on-line literature to express ones humour and to show amusement in a simple form. If you wish to be so pedantic, mayhap we revert to Latin the true language . . . as you see language develops and you sir, to criticise modern adjustments and developments to language shows a breathtaking ignorance to the generation upon generation that has ultimately created the English we speak today. 

    Kyle this but a simple area for us simple serfs to discuss football, not an English lit forum. Please adjourn there and stop boring us simple folk with your crass, limited sound bites. We simply don't care, as you offer nothing constructive.

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  20. So Suarez is caught by the keeper correct? But because Suarez couldn't reach the ball DUE to the keeper it isn't a foul? Strange?

    So Suarez is protected because of the Evra incident to is that also what you are saying, priceless!!Over dramatised diving is part of the game all teams do it and nowadays people become more frustrated with players who ride challenges and lose possession when they could get the foul. It is all part and parcel of modern football it is worked on, on the training pitches.

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  21. The strangest point of the whole scenario was the fact the ref didn't book the keeper.

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  22. I guess it must suit the agenda yes Kyle? 

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  23. Well, I am certainly not Liverpool fans, but I would admit that Suarez is clever enough to get this to a pens. Contact was  minimum but THERE WAS contact so the penalty was right (as the ref said). Sometimes you need to do "clever" thing to legally get a pens. By "clever" I didn't mean "dive" but more like got the timing rights like put your leg in front quicker, etc. "Dive" would be if no contact but you act like there's a contact. I would say that Suarez is "over-reacted" just like Cheikh Tiote did to Sessegnon last night.

    Well, for Kop's fans, whether you want it or not, Suarez is already stamped as "diver" already from his first year in BPL, so you guys better prepared to see more negative comments about Suarez in the future.

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  24. Clear as day that was a dive. He springs into the air. If he had've let his leg trail it would've been more believable. 

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  25. Looking at the Arsenal players, they didn't make much protest....but I feel, not because they felt he dived but because they knew it was a penalty that had to be given regardless of how theatrical and dubious it was.  Contact was made.....but definitely not to be scythed down in such a manner. Even my 6 year old girl could have stayed on her feet because the momentum would have taken you forward and it would have required a harder force to knock you off your feet.

    I have been very annoyed with Luis and his antics on the field because it just ruins the good things he does.

    Shame, IMO.

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  26. Oh look who it is, its the 'lol' stalker(!)

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  27. Reviewed the video footage coulple of times - definitely shin contact - therefore penalty awarded correctly regardless of any added circus acts.
    Cringeworthy theatrics? Video footage confirms that too.
    Do I care?.. umm.. No.
    Is he a good player? No, not good, just has me glued to my seat and jumping up and down, biting my fingernails, he is bloody AWESOME!

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  28. He is a cheat, but we all knew that anyway. If we are saying that someone brushing someone's shin makes them fall over or, more accurately, go up in the air in that way, then we will be seeing a few more penalties this season. And, yes, I think Suarez leaves his leg there as much as the keeper brings him down. But why should anyone be surprised?

    Marginally better than the Bale dive.

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  29. He is a great dribbler and carrier of the ball in and around the box. Beyond that part of his game, jury is still out. Needs to sort his finishing out badly. Until then, he is simply a great carrier/dribbler of the ball, which is not the be all and end all to being 'awesome'

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  30. I think it was a penalty, but the theatrics he performed after such a light contact were cringe-worthy and to me, smacked of an attempt to get the keeper sent off.  I hope I'm wrong in that thought but I doubt that I am sadly.

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  31. The way he is finishing at the moment, maybe he should actually try to set other people up more than shooting at goal so much himself. But, then, the rest of the squad is hardly showing that they have any shooting boots either. Watching other games at the weekend, we see Defoe get on for 10 minutes and put a chance away, think that is 9 for the season, off the bench, and we see Young score two stunning strikes for Man Utd. One is supposedly not good enough for us and the other cost 4 million less than Downing!

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  32. Stefan Þorgrimsson2:50 pm, March 05, 2012

    Who cares if he dives or not.

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  33. That is my view also - I could not care less if a player dives or doesn't - sure, I'd prefer them not to, but if I have to tolerate half the EPL doing it, why not Suarez too?... and on top of that WITH contact.. so it turns into a non-issue for me. 
    Look, at the end of the day it is a bleeding game.. yes a GAME... 11 guys that get paid too much to play a GAME... you know, fun to watch, kick a little freaking ball around GAME. haha! 
    And we the supporters get a kick out of feeling some emotion towards it, but we should take a step back before getting our knickers in a knot and damning a person and his little kids to an eternity in hell and distill real "hate?" on them.. crazy.. when it is just some rich dude striking a pose in the air while grabbing his nuts for a penalty. Yea, we'll throw in a tantrum, as you do.. but so what. Doesn't affect your pay check or your will to live, get on with it. One of your own will do the same soon enough and your discourse will be milder no doubt. Remember, it's just an effing game, enough already.
    Well done Luis, too bad Kuyt had his rubber toes screwed on backwards.

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  34. Lots of players have been booked and fouls given even when they try to pull out of obvious dubious tackles. The intent, or lateness, was there. If Szcsesny hadn't been able to pull back the small fraction that he did it could have even been a red. Who would have argued with that? Kuyt was penalised for a "late challenge" he tried to pull out of, that is how fouls are messured. It was a foul regardless of if it was a feather touch or a bulldozer.

    Your point raised for debate is pointless and more than that, damaging to the club we ALL support. Trolling is what I call it

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  35. 100% Penalty , you can see the shin pads move on both players!!!

    Let me kick you against the shin and see if it hurts !!!

    This is a bullshit topic !! Bale dives far more than Suarez !!! but do you see the magnifying glasses come out for him ??

    Suarez should just go to Real or Barca... He is going to be treated like dog in the EPL.

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  36. You argue against yourself, the magnifying glass did not come out for Bale but everyone decided he was guilty.

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