The Manchester United v Liverpool clash was overshadowed by controversy before the game even got started.
Forgive the unfortunate turn of phrase, but is the debate over Suarez’ actions as black and white as it is being made out?
Sir Alex Ferguson called for the Uruguayan to be kicked out by Liverpool, and others have joined him in gleeful condemnation.
But Suarez clearly believes he was treated too harshly by the FA and has a big chip on his shoulder.
He and Evra do not have to be best of friends, and if this whole episode has left him bitter, should he be under any obligation to shake his hand?
If he does not like Evra, is he just sticking to his principles by not shaking his hand?
One thing is for sure, this game came just too soon, everything was still raw, and Dalglish should have considered leaving Suarez on the bench.
Was it a badly advised act of gamesmanship? Was he just trying to unsettle the United defender, distracting him and his teammates right before the kick-off to give his club an advantage?
If so it very nearly worked when Evra and Ferdinand collided in the first minute all fired up, fortunately for United there was no damage.
If it was an act of gamesmanship, or he was simply staying principled to himself, does he deserve to be treated as harshly as Ferguson and others suggest?
Probably not- but let’s not forget he’s only a 25-year-old lad who has made a mistake. Again.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m no Suarez apologist. His actions were ill-judged.
Gamesmanship can be fine- its part of sport, but there is a time and a place, and this was not it.
It may be that he was staying true to himself in refusing the handshake, but he should have put his club first.
He has made himself a marked man throughout the Premier League and is now despised by neutrals as much as by United’s following.
My personal belief is that Suarez was wrong to turn down the handshake, purely for the good of the game. He now surely realises this after issuing an apology on Liverpool’s website yesterday afternoon.
Patrice Evra who was racially abused by Suarez, has more right to snub a handshake, yet offered his hand as a peace offering and deserves respect- even if his celebrations after the final whistle were far from tactful.
Like the John Terry saga, the events of the last few months have been truly harmful to the image of football worldwide.
Suarez had an opportunity to draw a line under it and close the chapter for good. Instead he chose not to, and that was a bad decision.
If it was his own personal principles which stopped him shaking hands with Evra, he should grow up a bit. There is being principled, and being stubborn, and that’s Suarez’ problem.
He also put his manager in a difficult position, fielding questions about his actions rather than the football, although Dalglish hardly helped himself.
Now it will rumble on and on and will be harmful to both clubs- especially Liverpool, although they have attempted to nip it in the bid further through apologies yesterday.
Nevertheless, Suarez is entitled to the same free choice when it comes to a handshake as Wayne Bridge. If he gets it wrong- which he did, let’s criticise him for it, but let’s not get carried away.
But what is key, is the facts are right. There were some Liverpool fans pathetically tweeting a still image of Suarez offering his hand to de Gea, trying to claim it was Evra who snubbed him.
Let’s get the facts correct, Suarez’ snub was there on television for the world to see. Time to stop being delusional.
Instead let’s stop pretending the earth is flat and have a proper debate why he did it, and whether or not he was right or wrong to do it.
Let us know your views
image: © jikatu
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