The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion
The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion |
| Why Liverpool should keep — and help — Luis Suarez Posted: 22 Apr 2013 05:45 PM PDT
APRIL 23 — I wanted to write today's column about this week's Champions League semi-finals. The highest quality football tournament on the planet, the best four teams in Europe (apologies to fans of Manchester United and Juventus) going for the biggest prize the game can offer: what could be better? But then along came Luis Suarez biting Branislav Ivanovic during Liverpool's 2-2 draw with Chelsea on Sunday, so how on earth can I ignore that? I'm a big fan of Suarez. I believe he's a world-class talent and in the past I've had no problem with his spikiness. The best players generally have that kind of edge (even Leo Messi is no saint) and if you want an athlete to strive for individual excellence in a competitive, physical environment, you have to accept the rough with the smooth. Sure, Suarez has always operated on the very edges of the spectrum of what's acceptable and he seems to have a habit of attracting trouble, but to a certain extent I can accept that in a sportsman. This time, however, he has gone too far. The biggest concern over his conduct on Sunday is that he's done it before. During his time with Ajax, he received a seven-match ban for biting PSV Eindhoven midfielder Otman Bakkal; the fact that he's done the same thing again suggests he didn't learn a thing from that episode. Playing with rugged physicality is one thing, but biting an opponent isn't an expression of extreme competitiveness. It is an indication of a deeply flawed human being — especially, as I said, when he's done it before. This presents Liverpool with an enormous problem. Suarez is their best player. In fact, he is one of the world's best players — I truly believe he's good enough to play for any team. If he left Liverpool, he could play for Barcelona or Bayern Munich; if he was Brazilian, he would be an automatic selection in their national team. He's that good. From a purely sporting perspective, then, there's no way that Liverpool want to lose him. And if they did have to, they'd want it to be on their terms, allowing them to extract the highest possible fee rather than being forced to accept the bargain baseman price that would inevitably result from his disciplinary deficiencies. In that sense, they should keep him. However, Liverpool have a long and admirable history of trying to behave with dignity. They are a proud club and their name is being sullied by Suarez's conduct. In that sense, they should sell him. The Anfield club responded quickly and correctly by accepting that his behaviour on Sunday was completely wrong. Their statement, released just a few hours after the game, was brief, to the point and sought to make no excuses or justification. That was correct. I believe they should now continue with an open, transparent and proactive approach; I also believe they should keep him. But first they should help him. Suarez, it seems likely to me, has deep psychological problems. He is a flawed human being and, as such, he needs counselling, he needs medical support. He needs an employer who will stand by him whilst acknowledging his problems and genuinely helping him to address them. Liverpool, therefore, should fund an extensive medical and psychiatric rehabilitation programme, and take the proactive decision to suspend him indefinitely from all football until that course of treatment is satisfactorily completed in the opinion of independent mental health professionals — regardless of whatever punishment the FA might choose to hand out. I'm not a doctor or a mental health expert, and I'm not familiar with Suarez's family medical history or social background, but for the Uruguayan to consistently create the kind of trouble that has so badly damaged his reputation makes me believe there is a serious problem with his mental state. Yes, he should initially be condemned and punished, but he should also be helped. For this to happen, of course, Suarez would first need to acknowledge that he has a problem, which may not be easy. In the macho world of professional sport, such suggestions are generally mocked and dismissed. Admitting mental illness is seen as a sign of immense weakness. Battle-hardened athletes are not supposed to have mental health issues and, if they do, they're supposed to somehow put them to one side, "man up" and carry on regardless. Of course, I may be wrong and there may be nothing wrong with Suarez's mental state, and his various misdemeanours could just be the cynical work of a calculating but perfectly healthy brain. I'm just speculating, but as a layman he appears to be a prime case for suffering from some kind of mental imbalance or illness. It certainly merits further investigation by experts in the field. If that is the case, and both Suarez and Liverpool acknowledge it, properly address the issue and he eventually returns to football — and life — in a healthier frame of mind, making a genuine attempt to mend his ways rather than issuing a brief but meaningless "I'm sorry" statement, he should be welcomed back with open arms. It could even prove to be some kind of breakthrough for addressing the wider taboo of mental health issues in professional sport. What can't happen is a "brush it under the carpet" approach, where Luis says he's very sorry, receives a 10-game ban, returns next season and then a few months later gets himself into trouble again. That would not address the issue; it would not help Liverpool, it would not help football and, perhaps most importantly, it would not help Suarez. * This is the personal opinion of the columnist. | |
| Semua parti bermasalah fasal calon Posted: 22 Apr 2013 05:37 PM PDT
23 APRIL — Semua parti baik dalam Barisan Nasional dan pembangkang Pakatan Rakyat menghadapi banahan dari parti masing-masing tentang calon yang dikemukakan. Paling banyak menghadapi banahan dari akar umbi ialah Umno dan kerabat Barisan Nasionalnya. Pakatan Rakyat juga tidak sunyi terutama dari Parti Keadilan Rakyat. Setakat ini PAS saja parti yang tidak bergolak dengan calon yang diputuskan oleh pimpinannya. Ada timbul tentang calon yang tidak sesuai di peringkat awal, tetapi telah selesai sebelum senarai bersih diumumkan Adapun pertikaian dengan PAS ialah pertindihan dengan rakan kongsinya PKR. PAS menuntut balik kawasan yang dilepaskannya kepada PKR pada PRU 2008 dulu seperti di Bagan Serai. PAS menunut balik kerana ia dikira kosong setelah anggota Parlimen PKR keluar parti. Ada pun kerusi seperti Lembah Panti dan Bandar Tun Razak tidak dituntut kerana pemenangnya kekal dan bertanding semula. Manakala ia menolak beberapa calon PKR di Terengganu disebabkan parti itu tiada tenaga di kawasan tersebut. Kawasan-kawasan itu dijaga oleh PAS sejak sekian lama. Adalah adil PKR diberi kerusi supaya parti dilihat wujud di negeri-negeri, tetapi jika selama lima tahun lalu ia dijaga oleh PAS juga adalah adil buat PAS. Atas isu keadilan seperti itu timbul perbedaan pandangan. Tentang kerusi yang disandang oleh PSM di Selangor, PAS tidak memberinya kepada parti itu tetapi ia diserahkan kepada PKR. PKR pula memberinya kepada PSM. Tetapi perkembangan di akar umbi mengira peranan PAS adalah ketara, maka mahu kawasan itu semula taambahan pula PSM tidak tersenarai dalam komponen Pakatan Rakyat. Tetapi bantahan yang ketara adalah di kalangan kerabat BN dan di kalangan parti sama sendiri. Di Tapah pula PKR menolak calon dari Hindraf. Ketua cabang di situ juga mahu menganjur calon Bebas jika ia tidak ditukar. Beberapa kawasan yang diberi kepada MCA seperti Wangsa Maju, tiada jaminan ia akan menang jika dikekalkan. Maka Umno mengambilnya dengan harapan dapat meraih undi orang Melayu. Tindakan Umno itu dibantah oleh MCA. Calon Umno itu tolak oleh MCA. Umno sendiri membantah beberapa calon Umno yang diputuskan melalui kawalan jarak jauh oleh pimpinannya. Wanita Umno Kuala Kangsar membantah Naib Ketua Wanita Umno kebangsaan, Datuk Kamalia Ibrahim tidak dicalonkan,sedang dia adalah ketua wanita Umno di situ sejak sekian lama. Kamalia mengugut untuk bertindak. Bagaimana jika ia tidak diselesaikan. Veteran Umno di DUN Luit, Maran membantah Puteri Umno yang amat mentah dicalonkan. Mereka mengugut untuk bertanding Bebas. Di Tasik Gelugor, Datuk Seri Sharif Omar, Timbalan Menteri yang digugurkan tahun 2008 dulu, membantah dia tidak dicalonkan semula. Orang-orangnya mahu dia jadi calon Bebas atau mereka tidak menyokong calon BN. Demikain juga di Batang Kali. Penyokong Umno mengugut bertanding Bebas kerana ADUN Mat Isa tidak dicalonkan semula. Bantaahan yang sama terdapat di Negri Sembilan, Johor dan lain-lain. Beberapa bilik gerakan BN tidak berfungsi dan bendera BN diturunkan. MCA di Pandan, di Seremban dan beberapa tempat lagi tidak bersetuju dengan calon rahsia Najib yang diumumkan di saat terakhir. Ramai mengira Ong Kee Tian, MP di situ sejak sekian lama adalah calon boleh menang. Walaupun harapan MCA tipis bagi menghadapi pengaruh DAP, tetapi Kee Tiat adalah tokoh MCA yang ada harapan baik. Bantahannya dan penyokongnya boleh melemahan lagi harapan MCA pimpinan Soi Lek untuk menebus kekalahan 2008. DAP yang dikira kebal juga dibantah oleh penyokongnya apabila DUN Pulau Tikus, Pulau Pinang digantikan dengan orang baru. Walaupun semua parti bergolak tentang calon, tetapi yang ketara mendapat bantahan penyokong sendiri ia Umno dan Barisan Nasional. Umno menghadapi bantahan dari rakan Barisan nasional, ia juga dicabar oleh ahli-ahlinya sendiri. Tiada parti yang benar-benar tenang kali ini. * Ini adalah pandangan peribadi penulis. |
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