but this time I'm going to. Suarez undoubtedly ignites conflicting emotions; dislike for the frequent diving that was so obvious last season, affection and respect for his towering goal-scoring form this season. He has been a joy to watch.
But at lowly Mansfield today, his goal, which proved to be the difference with Liverpool, was tinged with controversy. According to your view, the ball hit Suarez's arm, or he controlled the ball with his arm just a few yards out, making it easy to score.
It's very difficult to say if this was a deliberate handball, but if pushed, I'd say it probably was. Suarez was in the Mansfield area trying to wriggle through to score. His kick bounced off a defender and up against his arm, which was at right angles to his body. The ball struck his arm (or vice versa). Was it deliberate? Who knows.
Referee Andre Marriner made the call that it was not. He can't have had a very good view but he may also have called on the services of the assistant via their microphones. He had a better view and it seems Marriner may have indicated he saw the handball but decided it was not deliberate - and should therefore stand.
These decisions have to be judged on their individual merit. If the handball was deliberate, I'm pretty sure every attacker in the Premier League would have done the same, and left it to the referee to decide, so let's not pick on him.
No comments:
Post a Comment