Suarez Must Clean Up His Act - But Football Fans Must Follow Suit

 After Luis Suarez latest indiscretion yesterday it’s become even clearer that the Uruguayan needs to clean up his act, but do we have to clean up our own as well? As football fans are we just a big bunch of hypocrites?

 Looking at the response of the public in general you can’t escape the feeling that those who condemn football’s latest ‘despicable act’ the most strongly are actually happy that it happened. He’s a naughty boy and will deservedly be punished and the reputation he has earned for himself will stay with him for life, but this isn’t about Suarez, it’s about us – the football supporters.

 Fans of Liverpool’s rivals, Man Utd, Everton, Chelsea etc will talk about how long the ban should be and how the player should be sacked or sold, he’s a disgrace to football and the game would be better off without him. But if you could freeze time immediately before those famous teeth sunk themselves into Branoslav Ivanovic’s arm and ask those same people if they would like to see Suarez bite the Serb or not we all know what they’d say. It’s not about the good of the game, it’s about wanting to see controversy. Watching others do things they shouldn’t entertains us.

 And Liverpool fans shouldn’t play all innocent either. How many of us, myself included, were pleased to see Eric Cantona get himself a lengthy ban, the same with Rio Ferdinand, and on smaller scales people like Wayne Rooney and Marouanne Fellaini banned on video evidence? We want to see people we dislike misbehave so they can be punished and we can all feel justified in hating them, when realistically the only thing they’ve ever done to us is wear the wrong colour shirt.

 Seriously, compare Cantona and Suarez, two players who can both lay claim to being amongst the best of their generation, and who both courted controversy throughout their careers. How can any Man Utd fan realistically vote for Cantona as their clubs best ever player and say Liverpool have to get shut of Suarez? And how can any Liverpool fan say Cantona got what he deserved and then get all high and mighty about how Suarez is just misunderstood? It just doesn’t work. Get your own house and your own morals in order before you start so strongly hammering someone else’s.

 Remember Fellaini at Stoke earlier this season? A headbutt, a punch and an elbow all in the same game. How many Liverpool fans said he was a disgrace? How many of us can honestly say we’d rather he hadn’t done it? So how can we want to see something like that in the game because it entertains us and then get all defensive when one of our own does it?

 This all goes for fans of all teams, I’ve just used Liverpool, Everton and Man Utd as examples as I know them best, working mainly alongside people who support these teams.

 And the way we talk about footballers, what is it actually based on? Suarez is scum. Well, that’s what people say anyway. From everything I’ve heard he’s a dedicated, conscientious family man who lives a quiet life. But once he gets onto a football pitch his competitive edge takes over and he’ll do anything to win, including crossing the line when it comes to his behaviour towards opponents. On the occasion of his 1000^th appearance recently Ryan Giggs was described as a ‘wonderful human being’ by his manager. Giggs has hardly put a foot wrong on the pitch over his entire career, both with his talent and behaviour. What he has done off the pitch has ripped a family apart and caused far more hurt to far more people than one overpaid footballer biting another, and yet thousands of fans pay to have his name proudly displayed across their back. That’s their choice and down to their own morals.

 If we’re going to judge players as footballers then that’s fine, if we’re going to judge them as people based purely on what they do when they cross the white line then we’re getting into dangerous territory. Look around you at work, somewhere in your office is a person who will take whatever edge they can to get an advantage in their job, maybe break a company rule or two, or call a colleague something they shouldn’t. If you don’t see anybody who fits that description then it’s you.

 Whichever members of the public reported Suarez’ bite to the police need to take a good hard look at themselves. What did you hope to achieve? As I’ve already mentioned, one overpaid footballer bit another, if there’s any need for police involvement it’s for those two footballers to decide. It’s just another example of someone trying to get someone else in trouble for their own entertainment.

 We all need to get a sense of perspective on what happened yesterday. One man bit another man in an attempt to gain an advantage in a football match. If somebody said to you that the team you support would have a better chance of beating a rival if you bit one of the rival supporters would you do it? Some would, some wouldn’t. I suspect the majority of those who took to social media sites to brand Suarez as scum probably would.

 Yesterday was one man’s petulant act that will cost him public humiliation and a fine of probably more than the value of the house you live in. And he deserves it. But as for the majority of the vile things written about him, or about any footballer, is it really necessary? Football is the beautiful game, and we, as fans, are a massive part of football. If we’re going to behave like children, telling tales and calling people names, then do we really have a right to complain when one of the heroes we worship acts like a child too?