Mis Communicator of the Week: Luis Suarez
Ed Staite argues that Luis Suarez is mis-communicator of the week for his handshake refusal.
13 Feb 2012, 10:00
Suarez's handshake refusal
What’s the saying about being in a hole and stopping digging? I wonder if it translates into Spanish? It seems that what is deemed acceptable behaviour by most doesn’t translate into the world Luis Suarez, Liverpool’s Uruguay international footballer, lives in.
Just before Christmas Suarez was found guilty of racially abusing Patrice Evra, the Manchester United captain, and banned for 8 games. His defence had been that, while he accepted he had said certain things to Evra, where he comes from what he said isn’t abuse. This sparked a level of sympathy with some and led to Liverpool stating that they still believed their player was innocent. However, no appeal to the ban was forth-coming. A further twist in this sorry affair was that Evra also admitted to abusing Suarez but his abuse was, it appears, not the kind which warrants censure from the Football Association. All very messy and not what English football’s most intense rivalry required.
Now, fast-forward into 2012, and Suarez returns to the Liverpool team on Saturday against, you’ve guessed it, Manchester United. As is now customary, in a bid to communicate fair play, the two teams lined up to shake hands before kick-off only for Suarez to refuse to shake Evra’s hand. The faux chivalry of two teams being told to shake each other’s hand does not excuse the snub dished out by Suarez. It actually makes his stupidity even worse.
Here was an opportunity, designed by the very people who had punished him, for Suarez to draw a line under the row and move on. Put aside his grievances and be a man. Wait to make his point on the field of play. Sadly he decided he couldn’t do that and, instead, removed the doubt from the minds of those who had previously thought he’d been unlucky to receive such a lengthy ban based on one man’s word against another’s.
Footballer’s specifically, but sporting stars more generally, need to understand their huge influence and start using it more wisely. From young boys watching at home, to the men stood inside Old Trafford who could have been moved to violence by this incident, via a wider need for strong positive role models in today’s society, a simple handshake can mean and communicate a great deal.
His standing in world football has been badly diminished, as has that of his club to the millions watching this game around the world. 24 hours later he has apologised to his teammates, his manager and to Liverpool FC. These words, appear contrite, but are like closing the stable door after the caballo has bolted. This is why Luis Suarez is my Mis Communicator of the Week.
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Ed Staite
Ed Staite is the managing director of Staite Communications and is a former Conservative press officer.
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Comments (7)
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Where was it reported that Evra also abused Suarez and do you know what he allegedly said?
13/02/2012 10:25Prior to the panel announcing their decision it was reported (most national papers including Telegraph) that Evra had abused Suarez however I have not read the judgement which includes the testimony from both players. I'd prefer not to get bogged down in who said what to whom as a decision was made by the FA to ban Suarez. If, as he insists, he is innocent then he should have appealed. He didn't, so Saturday was the time to move on and show the world who he really is. This makes his actions and lack of honesty with his manager even worse.
13/02/2012 10:43Even if Saurez lied to him, Dalglish's conduct throughout this affair has been nothing short of disgraceful and he is lucky to still be in a job, in my view.
13/02/2012 15:35Dalglish has stuck by Suarez and who can blame him? Dalglish will continue to 'support' assets with a high value, how can he not? Sadly, Suarez has embarrassed everyone after the failure to shake hands, it would have put the whole thing to bed. Instead, the media has had yet another feeding frenzy.
I take it from your comment re. Dalglish and the sack that Ferguson should have been sacked for supporting Cantona or sticking by Keane after he admitting to deliberately breaking a player's leg.
The clubs will stick with the players and when their actions outweigh their worth they'll get rid, simple.
13/02/2012 22:46Suarez made a mistake in not shaking Evra's hand, but only because this played into the media's hands in trying to paint him as the villain. Those who paid attention to his behaviour for the rest of Saturday's game will recognise that the incident in the line up was his first and last crime of the day.
For the rest of the game he did not get involved in any flare ups, he was not reported to have been involved in the suspiciously vague reports of 'incidents in the tunnel' at half time (if it had involved him I somehow think we would have heard about it!) and he did not even react at the end of the game in the face of Evra's petty provocations right in front of him. It is clear that Suarez went out onto the field on Saturday intent on ignoring Evra entirely and just getting on with playing. In some ways I think that was the right approach, but he took it a step too far.
People have attacked Kenny over this. I don't think that is fair. In terms of the original incident he had a player protesting his innocence. He is the manager of that player. Isn't it only right that he defends him?
In terms of the incident on Saturday, Kenny simply didn't know that Suarez had not shaken Evra's hand so his position in the post match interview was an impossible one anyway, but his reaction was to the interviewer trying to turn that incident into something it wasn't.
The interviewer was suggesting that the game boiled over because of that. It was not the case. The game was not especially ill-tempered. There were not many incidents, no red cards, no crowd trouble, not even many bookings.
Suarez was stupid for not taking the chance to put the episode to bed, but the reason it is still a live issue anyway is down purely to the media.
14/02/2012 09:59I'm talking about Dalglish providing a running commentary throughout the pre Commission period, whilst no doubt being urged by various parties - FA, PFA etc to button it. Turning up in the notorious t shirt and then failing to let the issue drop in the build up to the game - 'great to have him back, but he shouldn't have been banned in the first place', unnecessarily chippy and aggressive attitude with the Sky interviewer etc etc
I agree that SAF is throwing stones in a glasshouse and that the Keane incident showed him in an even less appealing light than usual.
No axe to grind, support a Championship side, but take the view that supporting a player through thick and thin, even taking account of the economic argument, can sometimes take you into some dark places.
14/02/2012 12:38Some great points here and agree it is far too easy to get bogged down in who was right or wrong. Ultimately, if Suarez had shaken that hand which was offered we wouldn't still be debating it now. A simple gesture which could have achieved, and communicated, a great deal.
14/02/2012 13:08