The world likes nothing more than an idiot to make us all feel better about ourselves. The World Cup has duly delivered. An otherwise intelligent, multi-lingual, footballer, has debased the game, and himself, despite twice before facing the world’s censure.
I feel for Italy, who should have seen an opponent sent off before they conceded the goal which put them out of the tournament, for Giorgio Chiellini, the victim of the assault, and manager Cesare Prendelli, who resigned after leading a large nation to failure in a group which Uruguay and Costa Rica progressed from. Few in our game are selfless enough to resign from any job, so he deserves credit, but the prevailing narrative on the offender sits uncomfortably.
Instead of asking “Why?” the most obvious question is “Why did anyone think he wouldn’t?”
A man loses control of his emotions, gets angry and reacts in an inexplicable way he has repeatedly done so before, despite calmly delivered assurances he would never do so again. It’s not exactly a unique human tale.
What if he was a wife beater, would anyone be surprised? Some men repeatedly lose control, get angry and indulge in an inexplicable act of violence against the person they are most dependent on (women have been known to regularly ‘lose it’ too, of course).
I don’t know what the treatment programme for wife beaters is, but I’m pretty sure it’s completely separate from any punishment. Does fear of punishment, condemnation, or of hurting yourself or your loved ones, matter the instant before an attack? I suspect not.
Suarez is not repeatedly beating a helpless victim, so I’m not equating him with those who do, but his case is more difficult to resolve. You can tell a wife beater not to get drunk (etc.), but Suarez’ trigger is the tension which arises on the football field. He will feel this tension again and we should expect him to react in the same uncontrollable way. In fact, opponents are now more likely to provoke him, so, if anything, the rate of incidence is likely to increase.
Like the bully who is not fit to be alone with his loved ones, Suarez is literally not fit to be on a football field. To protect him, and others, from himself, he should be removed from the game until that rage is under control. This may also rob him of his mojo, which is a very great pity.
The other narrative of the week is that the game should not only value people who lose control of their emotions but should put them in charge, as it takes anger to get results. Watch the adherents to this doctrine line up to condemn the logical conclusion of their strategy.
Dreadful news that David Taylor, one of our own, former SFA chief executive and latterly one of the top men at Uefa, died. Our condolences to his family.
I was delighted when Greece were awarded an injury time penalty when needing a goal against Ivory Coast but the trauma when Georgios picked up the ball! Things are still raw…. Fortunately Georgios is not prone to letting his emotions get out of check. The coolest man on the planet acted like he was training at Lennoxtown. So pleased for him.
Cast your memory back to the “Greek tragedy” goading the player received from ITV commentators during World Cup 2010, based on his limited exposure at Manchester City. They’ve all learned now.
Thank you to everyone who participated in the Celtic Graves raffle, which was drawn by Celtic FC Foundation chief exec, Tony Hamilton. First name out of the Celtic carrier bag and winner of Scott Brown’s boot was Edward John Gavin Whyte. Second name out and winner of Virgil Van Dijk’s boot was Erin McCafferty.
Just over £1,000 was raised and half of this will go to the hospice who looked after Wee Oscar.
Visit the CQN Bookstore to get Tommy Gemmell to sign your personal copy of his book, All the Best.
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ACGR
Outfits are going to be our best yet, hope the golfs a bit better this year. I am hoping that our troosers can at least be on a par with lurcys, man I love those tartan numbers but canny buy them anywhere :-(!!! HH
John O
Maybe we should sign a wee leprechaun, that would fit the nice, wee, twee Celtic you hope for.
captain beefheart
Hope we spend some of it …:)
Total over reaction to Suarez bite from most, paul67 included.
Players who set out in a calm controlled way to ‘do’ opponents are often lauded yet a buffoon of a man bites people like a big child and is ‘not fit to be on a football field’? Good grief.
Petulant millionaire fitba player with demons – 100%.
But he doesnt set out to break legs, do cruciates or elbow people in the head.
Gimme peace
Paul 67
Chiellini ?
I watched the game with my in his mid 80s Inter supporting neighbour ( he ,like me ,had money on a Uruguay win ) .
His perspective ? ————-” that Rube ^^^^^^^ has spent his career pushing his elbow in other players ribs and faces -why is biting someone seen to be worse than that ? “.
Scorchio -way down south ——38 degrees —– 40 plus soon come
Hamiltontim
I thought we had one, Neil’s love child wee Jamesy!!
“But he doesnt set out to break legs, do cruciates or elbow people in the head.”
Robert I beg to differ. The guy is an animal. Here’s all the evidence you need.
http://youtu.be/eF4kSWnY2Z8
Can’t agree Robert, just because there are other scum bags out there doing opponents doesn’t make his crime any less. There are millions of kids all over the world watching these games, what kind of message will they get if Suarez is not hammered.
roberttressell
18:37 on 25 June, 2014
Total over reaction to Suarez bite from most, paul67 included.
Players who set out in a calm controlled way to ‘do’ opponents are often lauded yet a buffoon of a man bites people like a big child and is ‘not fit to be on a football field’? Good grief.
Petulant millionaire fitba player with demons – 100%.
But he doesnt set out to break legs, do cruciates or elbow people in the head.
Gimme peace
—————
That said mhate if he got his gnashers anywhere close to your knee your cruciate would be history. He’d prob use your ACL to floss with!
OnlyJokingCSC
HH jamesgang
Boeriggter being our main wide left option…… Sammi will be sorely missed..
I think it’s the main signing they need to make for the qualifiers…. We’ll have enough to get past Rykevick…. But a new wide left player would be nice for the following rounds
Mon the Efe…
Unlucky Efe
I bet Efe to score anytime in 90 ,I was just starting to jump oooot my seat in celebration
:((
Efe going into last 16
Efe and Sammi two very classy Celts..
Nothing wrong with twee Hamiltontim. At least in moderation. Belle & Sebastian for example.
Bada, indeed.
Robert Tressell, good point. The numbskulls who want to deprive the man of his livelihood should be judges.
el flaco
Watching that I have lost all sympathy with Suarez. He is a total Jim Goodwin, and a sneaky one at that.
Anybody who refers to Efe as a ‘bombscare’ is also a numbskull. He is a fine player.
Bring back our Greek Tim.
TOMOBLOG: it wasn’t just hacking, it was Murdoch’s threat to democracy and the state.
http://blogs.channel4.com/alex-thomsons-view/phones-hacked-british-power/7929
Jeepers just saw Argentinian guy throwing water over his Manager. Jeepers Jock would have chinned him.
I wonder if you bit a guy on the arm in a fight would you get a bigger or lesser sentence or fine than if you deliberately broke his leg or jaw?
Suarez is a tool. No doubt about it. But perspective has been totally lost. It is odd when spitting and biting is rightly considered cowardly and disgusting, but actually seen as worse than a straight legged, studs up two footed tackle.
Think it through.
How ‘Battle of the River Plate’ cost football great Stein his knighthood
Updated on the 02 July
2007
12:30
Published 02/07/2007 00:15
Print this
AN INFAMOUS 1967 football match, which became known as the “Battle of the River Plate”, deprived Jock Stein of a knighthood, it emerged yesterday.
Newly released correspondence between Willie Ross, the then Scottish secretary, and Harold Wilson, the prime minister, has revealed the late Celtic and Scotland manager was originally included in the 1968 New Year Honours List. However, his name was removed at the last minute.
The letter, from 1970, sheds fresh light on the question of why Stein was never knighted, despite being the first manager to lead a British team to victory in the European Cup.
Alf Ramsay, the England manager, was named in the Birthday Honours immediately after leading England to the victory in the 1966 World Cup.
In the 1968 New Year Honours, there was a knighthood for Bob Kelly, then the Celtic chairman, but no mention of Stein.
And Matt Busby, the manager of Manchester United, was knighted the same year after his team won the European Cup, adding insult to injury among those who wanted to see a similar honour for Stein.
In the past, his omission has been attributed to anti-Scots and anti-working-class prejudice.
However, the documents that came to light yesterday reveal the disastrous clash between Celtic and Argentine side Racing Club led to Stein’s name being taken off the honours list at the 11th hour.
The letter from Mr Ross to Mr Wilson reveals that Stein had been “removed from the New Year’s List at a late stage because of the unfortunate events in South America”.
The match in Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, was the third meeting between the Scottish and Argentine sides. The previous two games, one in Glasgow, which Celtic won, and the other, in Buenos Aires, which the Parkhead side lost, had involved so much provocation and dirty play that Mr Kelly wanted to pull out of the final game.
However, Stein believed his players could rise above it all. He was wrong.
The match deteriorated into a brawl, with armed police and sword-wielding soldiers called to the pitch to separate the fighting players. Four Celtic players and two from Racing Club were sent off. The referee, Rodolfo Osorio, threatened to remove randomly chosen players from the pitch if the fighting did not stop. Fights even broke out among the sports writers who had gone to cover the match.
Sports writer John Rafferty later wrote that the Celtic players “lost the championship of the world because they lost their heads”.
Glenn Gibbons, The Scotsman’s chief football writer, yesterday admitted he was surprised to learn that the clash with the Argentine club had been the reason why Stein was passed over.
“I have heard that before, but I have always been a bit sceptical about the claim that was the reason he was never knighted,” he said. “I heard that there was one knighthood and that it was decided to give it to Bob Kelly instead.
“But, really, you could put this down to the dithering of civil servants.
“When Alf Ramsay won the World Cup, he was knighted immediately in the Birthday Honours list. If they had done the same and knighted Stein immediately after the European Cup victory, this would never have arisen.”
Jim Devine, the Livingston Labour MP who was one of those behind a 10,000-signature petition calling for Stein to be given a posthumous honour, yesterday described the document’s revelation as “very disappointing”.
He said: “Jock Stein made a great contribution to Scottish football and to Scottish society. He was a great football manager but also a great trade unionist and a great socialist. I still think he should be given this honour posthumously.”
LIFE AND TIMES OF THE ‘BIG MAN’
JOCK Stein was born in the Lanarkshire mining village of Burnbank in 1922.
He began his career with Albion Rovers and moved to Llanelli Town before joining Celtic, where he became captain. After retiring due to injury in 1956, he trained the club’s youth team.
In 1960, he became manager at Dunfermline, guiding them to their first Scottish Cup victory. In 1964, he moved to Hibs, and the following year returned to Celtic, becoming their first non-Catholic manager.
In 1967, they beat Inter Milan 2-1 to win the European Cup – the first British team to do so. He was made a CBE three years later.
Stein moved to Leeds United in 1978 but lasted only 45 days. He later became full-time Scotland manager. He died of a heart attack in 1985 at the end of a World Cup match in Cardiff.
el flaco.
The link says it all… Suarez knows exactly what he is doing, there can be no defence for him.
Greetin´ faced big Italian defender.
South of Tunis
@greengray:
Messi carrying Argentina.
Neymar carrying Brazil.
British Airways carrying England.
South of Tunis
18.39
Excuse me repeating myself.
Can you explain the Juventus = Rubentus and Juve = Rube insult, please?
If it’s post watershed then I’ll understand. Is it a reference to the Old Lady?
Sammi was indeed fine last night
So,wtf are we doing letting him go
Our squad is bereft of any CL quality
Guy Fawkes, a Roma fan I know says they are called Rubentus as they are thieves. He says its a play on the Italian verb for stealing/thieving.
The Green Brigade banner on the night of that game against the Serie A buns had Rubentus rather than Juventus on the banner.
They have stole so many trophies in their history by corrupting officials according to fans of other Italian clubs.
Delaney’s, good news about yer mammy being on the mend and a happy birthday to the Celtic Quick News little cherubs.
Celtic get £16m for last year participation in the CL but it appears that they will not sanction any new signings,until and if they qualify this year.Seems like a crazy business plan to me.
Suarez behaviour is totally unacceptable
He needs to be dealt with most severely
The biggest stage in world football and he assaults an opponent ..again
Bite someone in the street…you’ll get in big trouble
How some can trivialise his ….I don’t understand
The Italian verb ‘RUBARE’, to steal.
HH!!
Aw Naw,
my memories of the Racing debacle was a news report on the bbc, from London. Like one from a war correspondent or on a comic level, like Wicker´s world! Celtic were portrayed as openly fighting and the images were of mayhem and chronic disorder and the solemn voiceover would have put the wind up middle england…and if it was also a slow news day……….
I must have spent the next 10 years trying to find out the results and the events surrounding those games but nobody ever aired it, never mentioned it a kind of don´t talk about the war vibe. We were and we are, still challenging for the big prizes. It was best forgotten .Only in recent years has so much come to light, and now this.
We lost our shine in the eyes of the British viewing public I´m afraid and it was not remedied until the winning team of McNeil, Craig, Wallace and actor John Cairney skooshed it at Quizball.
Here in Spain in public life people are constantly getting, medals, titles, prizes, awards upon medals, titles, prizes and awards like they were going out of fashion… I lived long enough at home to know what our public life is like, The best memory for Jock is to try to think of ways of getting him back into the game, But as Paul rightly said in a recent post footy is very tribal
Can’t believe some posters are defending Suarez!
His career has been filled with play-acting, horrible abuse of his fellow pros, and now this shocking behaviour.
Total weirdo IMHO.
Izzy, if he’s playing tonight, will be up against the Rubentus right back, Lichsteiner.
I’m not particularly in favour of retribution and violent play but I hope Izzy let’s Lichsteiner know he won’t be pushed about.
Richie.
What dress wear on Friday.Formal,Smart Casual,or, Summer Casual.
Dallas Dallas where the heck is Dallas
Tallybhoy
Got it, Juve steal wins. Thank-you both.
Not great with foreign tongues. Need to work hard at being a monolinguist.
Poor wee Luis Suarez.
Serial biter of opposition players, racist abuser of fellow professionals…
He’s suffered enough!
HH!!