Despite his brilliance as a footballer, Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez stands disgraced and expelled from the game’s biggest stage in Brazil. The disciplinary committee of the Federation Internationale de Football Association (Fifa) found Suarez guilty of biting an opponent during a World Cup game against Italy and pronounced a four-month ban from all forms of the sport. Many may debate the severity of Fifa’s sentence, but it is Suarez who will cut a lonely, pitiable figure in the game — shorn of friends, fans and, more importantly, the respect of the national team with whom he was supposed to have brought honour to his country.
Suarez has damaged the ethics and morals that the game stands for. His capacity to differentiate between right and wrong is under a cloud. This is why he will never be a legend in the game, despite his brilliance on the field. The question mark over his conduct will always outweigh his skills with the ball.
The Uruguayan will return to play again, but his actions in this tournament must never be forgiven or forgotten. His is a cautionary tale.
