31 Oct 2012

'He didn't do it!' - LFC legend defends 'unlucky' Suarez over Distin 'trip'. Fair?

Yesterday, Reds legend Dietmar Hamann argued that Luis Suarez should've been sent off for his terrible challenge on Everton's Sylvain Distin in the Merseyside Derby against Everton last Sunday, but another former Red has defended Suarez, and laughs off suggestions that there was any malice aforethought on the Uruguayan's part.

Analysing the Distin incident on ESPN, Anfield legend Steve Nicol dismissed suggestions that Suarez deliberately aimed for Distin's achilles. He argued:

"Suarez tried to clip his heels. He’s gone to clip him but I don’t think he tried to stand on his Achilles; he’s just trying to trip him up.

"I think Suarez is unlucky here as it looks a lot worse than it is. He didn’t try to trample on Distin’s Achilles, and it’s not a red card"



It's entirely possible that Nicol is right, and Suarez didn't intend it, but it's difficult to accept:

* Suarez is right-footed, yet he goes in with his left foot, and takes out out Distin's left achilles, as opposed to going for the ball, which was on Distin's right side.

* Suarez doesn't just 'catch' Distin by accident (as part of his natural forward momentum) - he lunges with his left foot, and that is obvious from the image above.

* It's clearly a deliberate foul, but I concede there is possibly some merit to the suggestion that Suarez wasn't aiming for the achilles.

In his column for the Liverpool Echo today, Reds hero John Aldridge sat on the fence with his assessment of the incident. He observed:

"There’s a bit of devilment in the fouls Suarez commits. Only he knows whether that challenge on Distin was intentional. It was certainly clumsy and some referees would have sent him off".

Distin is still seething over the tackle, as he revealed on Twitter today in response to an enquiry:

"Thanks for the concern. My ankle is all good considering it could have been broken"


Jaimie Kanwar


77 comments:

  1. You can't draw any conclusions tbh. If you look at it, you can clearly see Suarez's right foot throws up a huge divot of grass showing he could easily of slipped and been losing his balance as they were both pivoting to turn. It could of been deliberate...it could of been a complete accident...only one person will ever know. !!! Simple as.

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  2. I'm open to correction here, but I think Didi's comment was that Suarez should have picked up a second yellow for a different challenge.
    As for that tackle, it does seem premeditated, only Suarez knows for sure. Either way its a yellow card for me.

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  3. To be honest, as soon as I saw it I knew it was a cynical foul IMO. Distin was looking for the pass and was in control and Suarez, like any good striker would, was trying to apply pressure on Distin for him to panic and make a mistake or for him to take the ball of him. However Distin passes the ball with his left foot and Suarez take out his left. So it's definitely a foul. IMO I think he meant to foul him on purpose, his foot was lingering there on Distin's foot for a while and it looks suspicious.

    IMO it should have been a red as Distin could have been really badly injured.

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  4. I've only read your column over the last few weeks and I admire your honesty and stance over Luis "the cheat" Suarez ! Refreshing to hear a red who doesn't wear the red tinted specs. Very talented player but a horrible nasty human being !

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  5. ANYONE ITH A PAIR OF EYES KNOWS HE TRIED TO PUT DISTN OUT THE GAME END OF STORY. STEVE NICOL ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY "OH HE JUST WANTED TO KICK HIM A BIT BUT NOT THAT BADLY" ARE YOU FOR REAL!! DOES THAT EVEN MAKE IT OK?
    AT THE END OF THE DAY A DELIBERATE KICK/STAMP IS NOT OK!
    BY DEFENDING HIM MAKES IT WORSE,YOU'D BE BETTER NOT SAYING ANYTHING THAN TALKING SUCH RUBBISH

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  6. Seeing it for the first time, it looked like a deliberate stamp. But Nicol raises a good point here, after analysing it again it does look like Suarez is trying to just kick Distin's kicking leg. So he was still trying deliberately attempting a foul but not the stamp. You can see straight away as soon as he feels contact he tries to immediately remove his foot. Suarez play acts, complains and sometimes dives but I don't think he is a dirty player to this extent. Just a horribly mistimed tackle.

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  7. Player hater

    What every Louis does people want to shoot him down

    Exactly what they did to Maradonna

    D

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  8. It's "Luis Alberto Suárez Díaz", I think.
    Yeah, just checked it on Wikipedia. Doesn't say anything about 'nasty human being' either, actually.

    I'd check my sources mate - you seem to be way off track here.

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  9. Stop defending Suarez. It was a dirty, deliberate tackle and could easily have ended Distins career. The challenge on Mirallas was equally deliberate, if not as ugly as the one on Distin. If we want these kind of challenges out of football, some need to stop defending the player who commits those actions.

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  10. I heard that he also leaves the cap off the toothpaste. And he drinks milk straight from the carton.

    Ooooooh he's a bad 'un is that Luis 'The Cheat' Suarez.

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  11. Get fucked arsehead.

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  12. Why no mention of the deliberate kick on Mirallas which put him out of the game.

    Suarez may be talented but he is a horrible nasty human being.

    What a joke comparing him to Maradonna who was twice the player and not vicious at all.

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  13. He also cheats at Monopoly and leaves the toilet seat up. So I've heard.

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  14. This is a clear deliberate foul. Straight red. He could have destroyed Distin's ankle and put him into retirement. Luckily, he didn't. He lunges for his ankle; he doesn't take a normal stride. He's a dirty little cheat and did the exact same to Mirallas, causing him to have to come off.

    Did anyone see Osman's "challenge" that resulted in the free-kick that gave the goal? He barely clipped the Liverpool player's heel and got a yellow. Pathetic double-standard.

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  15. And you know that Hurricane Sandy?

    All him.

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  16. Couple of technical questions here:
    Where do you get all of these animated gifs from J-Rock? They're great!

    Also, I'm sure you're aware that the comments section for this site doesn't work very well on iPhones, right? Which is a damn shame really as I could be giving you some absolute GOLD if I was able to use it whilst happily sat on the toilet. Is there any view to sorting those issues out?

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  17. Yes. But it's Everton. So, it's hilarious.

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  18. And Maradonna deserved it as does Suarez . He should have walked . He´s a disgrace . The Mirrallas challange was just as cynical. and Stirling should have walked to. Out played they dived and fouled thier way through the game .

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  19. I thought it was Alex Ferguson?

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  20. And you know when you're sitting on an office swivel chair thing and your headphones cord gets wrapped up in the little wheels and you end up nearly losing an eye when you lean over to grab a biro or whatever?

    That diabolical bastard... He must be stopped...

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  21. I make some gifs myself, but you can often find them floating around on the web somewhere.

    Re the comments: there's an option to add a mobile theme but I never used it as I thought it looked crap. I've just turned it on though so it should be much easier on the iPhone now. Have a go and let me know if it's working.

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  22. The team are playing well and whether you lot like him or not - Luis Suarez is one of the best players in the world and it is a privilege to have such a talented player at this great club.

    He's had the backing from both managers he has worked with at Liverpool as well as players as most of them have made comments either backing Suarez or commending him.
    I'm sure they know him a little bit better than you lot who love to criticise him in every way - but not to worry because the man is on fire right now and will be the one to carry the club until someone else is signed in January.

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  23. Alex Ferguson is just the tip in the ice berg...

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  24. PS I loved the way the proposed new style automatically updated the messages.

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  25. Surprise, surprise, club, manager and players back their own player and team mate. On that basis, John Terry is a saint. They are hardly going to bad mouth Suarez are they, regardless of whether he deserves it or not.

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  26. Alex Ferguson is simply a puppet controlled by mastermind Suarez, even during Evra debacle, as part of some big plan by Suarez.

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  27. Testing. Testing. 1, 2, 3...

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  28. Seems to be working OK now J-Dog. Still slightly glitchy perhaps but much better than it was.

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  29. Yeah, that was a really good feature. It's just too buggy at the moment. I'l let it go through a few more iterations and then change over.

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  30. Challenge on Mirallas ?? There was no contact, he just hurt himself !!

    As for Sterling, the first foul on Baines was in no way worthy of a yellow card, the second foul can be yellow carded. So, why on earth should he have walked ?? Stop talking nonsense, you fool !!

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  31. And good work with the gifs - they're ace!

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  32. Time to move ON!!!!!! I am thinking!!!!!!!!!!!

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  33. The truth is coming out...Did you know it was Suarez who told/encouraged Zidane to headbutt Materazzi in the 2006 world cup final?

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  34. Is that the same Maradona who was sent off in Spain 82 for retaliating after being kicked all over the park? Just wondering..

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  35. Not the point you were getting at but the funny thing is though Maradona retaliated against a player who was only on the pitch for a two or three minutes as he was a sub! I think he got him in the jewels too, poor guy!

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  36. Zidane was fitted with an earpiece, and Suarez was in the crowd giving him instructions.

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  37. Looks obvious to me that Suarez tries to kick Distans left foot to trip him up only to miss and stand on his right achilles... He got a yellow card for it so i don't see why people are complaining, it was never a red. Suarez has to be careful now, he's on 4 yellows in the league, one more yellow and he'll miss a league game with noone to replace him in the squad really!!

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  38. Maradona is a bad a person and Luis Suarez is a wonderful human being for the majority, a bad person is just for that "kind" of people (w/o personality) that buy anything the newspaper says.

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  39. Yes.many "could haves" and "I think so" from this game, even "should have" from you. Oh yes, don't forget "IMO"

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  40. It is ok to get stamped on your chest and not get a decision. when he is at the other
    end of it, where the fcuk you mfcukers were at? stop slating him and get on with it.

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  41. The annonymous doctor knows best.

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  42. Lejen. Even Jesus Christ was no saint.

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  43. That doesn't really do anything substantial to counter my reply to Nivster's point.

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  44. suarez assasinated JFK and then framed the other guy

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  45. name one talented player that was not backed by his team and was hounded out by his own managers and fans even when cantona fly kicks a fan he backed by everyone and the media hail him as a genius

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  46. No contact besides standing on his ankle and putting him out the game .Stirling dived for your second goal,second yellow . Suarez it seems is giving lessons , He´s scum ,and if you let scum play for you ,you will be tarred with the same brush. The image of a club is carryed by it´s players , Suarez is a cheat . So whats that say about LFC? If your happy to have cheats play for you fine .But he will drag your club down even further then he has already .

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  47. Its all clear now, I remember him talking to Justin Timberlake via an earpeice to expose Janet Jackson's boob... He's such a handful these days

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  48. The horse whisperer3:57 pm, October 31, 2012

    The tooth is out there. It's rotten to the core, and needs replacing.

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  49. True indeed ! In the case of Suarez? Distans foot/heel / I firmly believe that there was no 'malice' at all !

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  50. The horse whisperer4:03 pm, October 31, 2012

    Pull the back page. Horse doesn't win Derby after all.
    Apprentice found guilty of taking an illegal ride.

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  51. two wrongs do not make it right, but as usual reds play the victim card

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  52. i think this tackle as has been rightly said could or could not have been deliberate only he knows whether it was miss timed or on purpose, either way he couldve broke his ankle and where as i dont think you can't complain that he wasn't sent off - because he got a yellow - i dont think you could complain if he did get sent off. at the time i gotta say from where i was sitting (lower glad right infront of both incidents) the Mirallas one annoyed me the most, that i think was deliberate and should've been the easiest yellow he gave out that day (apart from the shocking tackle osman got booked for - sarcasm) which would've meant the distin one was his second yellow meaning that after the ref had given lfc a free kick for no reason and coates had fouled jags there wouldn't have been anyone there to nod it home.

    wanted to say my peice for a while and i actually dont mind this site its nice to read a balanced view, to put my views on this on an everton site would be meaningless as suarez is not our player and it would be alot of people commenting from the same side of the argument. healthy debate comes from two opposing sides so if anyone doesnt agree with me i would be happy to try and go into more detail with you but dont bother with the childish insults even when you change the description to banter there is still no place for it.

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  53. Yes agreed! Time to move on is right - so many fouls in the PL are premeditated/not premeditated etc etc; yes it was a bad foul but let's get over it. Just because it was Luis Suarez doesn't mean we have to examine it under the microscope!

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  54. If your on about the huth one,that's not what we're talking about! Was rodwells challenge last season a red? I think not but we're not talking about that either! Everyone can see he is a talented player but a diving,dirty player also. To defend his actions to injure a player you'd be best saying nothing or are all these reds just trying to wind the blues up! If Suarez said the ball was pink you'd agree!

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  55. you all realize sarcasm is a form of simulation.(of the true facts).

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  56. I see on your footage you've cut it just before Suarez immediately goes to Distin to apologise and make sure he's ok.... Yawn!

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  57. Again, that doesn't counter anything substantial in relation to my reply to Nivster. Nivster's implied point was that their public backing & commending of him and how they know him better, somehow is meant to be a good, more reliable and better reflection of Suarez, instead of the reflection said by the media & fans, etc. My reply was to illustrate how fallible that logic is, as that can be PR waffle by the club, manager, players, etc. Your point is somewhat irrelevant in what is being contested by me.

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  58. I guess every manager/player commenting on Suarez will be published on this website and in the discussion below will be the same old stuff. Suarez bashing everyday in every article. I wouldn't mind if I was in author's place, he is getting loads of hits because of Suarez. Good work for gaining traffic but otherwise its getting rather boring discussing same stuff monotonously only this time in different article.

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  59. Nope, just checked on Wikidpeople, his full name is "Luis Alberto Racist Cheat Suarez Diver"

    I looked up the meaning of that name and is stated "Horrible Human Being"

    All sources checked and correct my friend !

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  60. Yes, I'm sure the apology was sincere. IMO, Suarez only 'apologised' to give the appearance of remorse so the ref might go easier on him.

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  61. Jaimie, I like to visit your site to read some unbiased info on LFC. But occasionally, and quite often recently, you've started to see thing too much in black and white. It was a serious foul but who are you to decide that Suarez is insincere with his apology? Me thinks that your abject hatred/dislike for Suarez is affecting your objectivity. Although you on this occasion took an subjective stand on the matter.

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  62. Please, you do know where 'caps lock' is seated on your keyboard. Gently press it down and you'll notice something magical happening when you write things. Nice eh?

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  63. JK I take it my reply to felderkirk earlier this evening wasn't allowed ?

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  64. I thought it required capitals. Lol

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  65. Fair enough if that's your opinion but you are asking others to subscribe to and validate your opinion - otherwise why would you post it.

    If you want to present a fair and unbiased question why remove a part of the footage that may directly effect the context of "intentional or not" for a lot of people.

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  66. was he not driving a fiat uno in atunnel in paris

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  67. if he tried to clip Distins heel then it was just as likely to cause a serious injury and that is what matters.

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  68. Sources checked mate, he is a CHEAT !!!

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  69. I see my bad yeah then i totally agree with you maybe you could have been a bit clearer in your orginal post

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  70. Yeah - Distin left his achilles ther on purpose just to get Suarez in trouble

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  71. Why is Maradona a bad person?
    Because of a handball against Tina Shilton, who barely got off the ground and tried to punch the ball with his eyes closed....

    For the love of Christ, will you all just let it go????
    That was 26 years ago.

    Jimmy Saville is a bad person.
    Ian Brady is a bad person.
    Maradona simply reacted instinctively during a football match and got away with it. The real criminal that day was the linesman.

    And maybe Peter Reid for jogging after him for the 2nd... !!! ;)

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  72. Good job women tend to go for "someone who makes me laugh", eh horse........... ?

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  73. If a player goes to 'trip' another player from behind, there is always a good chance at that speed that an injury will occur. A red card should have been given. When will Luiz ever learn?

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  74. Suarez is a total disgrace in every way. The fact that he appears proud of his reputation only confirms it. Along with Liverpool's pathetic ongoing support of this dirty cheat. Ugly on the inside as well as the outside.

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  75. Dear oh dear!! Cannot make out whether you are a blue. Yes it was a bad foul, and if he had been sent off I would't have argued. But I cannot stand this holier than thou attitude. Are all Everton's players past and present Angels? D Ferguson,and Fellaini come to mind. People Who live in glass houses comes to mind.

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