Just How Hard Should FIFA Come Down On Suarez...??/

((HT: ESPN/FIFA))

Luis Suarez says things like what happened today in the Uruguay-Italy match "happen..."

Sure they do...

"These are just things that happen out on the pitch," Suarez said. "It was just the two of us inside the area and he bumped into me with his shoulder, and that's how my eye got like this as well. There are things that happen on the pitch and you should not make such a big deal out of them."

The bitten in this case, Chiellini, thinks nothing will happen and he told Sky Sports Italia just as much:

"It's a disgrace. The referee decided this game. If either team should have gone through, then it was us.

"Giving a red card to Marchisio and no red to Suarez decided the game. There was a different treatment for both sides and that decided the game and decided who went through.

"When we had 11 men, they weren't a threat at all and we were in perfect control, but then in the end, [the red card] was decisive.

"But then Suarez gets away with whatever he wants because FIFA want the top players involved. He bit me, and the sign is there. Now [FIFA] have got to have the courage to take action."

The guys at ESPN discuss


Thoughts are coming down on Suarez that include everything from a lifetime ban (not just internationally) to expelling Uruguay from the knockout stage and giving their slot to the next man up in their Group.

What say you, faithful reader...??/

Uruguay's Advancement Overshadowed By Another Biting...???

((HT: ESPN/FIFA))

This is Group of Champions and it appears that Luis Suarez is a chump- again...

Costa Rica and Uruguay advance to the knockout stages leaving Italy and England behind. But the larger issue is the apparent taking a chunk out of Chiellini's shoulder by striker Luis Suarez.

80th minute- a minute before Godin's goal against 10-man Forza- Suarez is in the box and jostling..


This is the third incident like this with Suarez. He received a 10-match ban for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic in 2013.
((HT: BPL))


Luis Suarez apologized at the time:

“I am deeply sorry for my inexcusable behaviour earlier today during our match against Chelsea.

“I have issued an apology and have tried to contact Branislav Ivanović to speak to him personally. I apologise also to my manager, playing colleagues and everyone at Liverpool Football Club for letting them down.”

In November 2010, Suárez, playing for Ajax Amsterdam, was suspended for seven games for biting PSV Eindhoven’s Otman Bakkal during a Dutch league game.
((HT: Football))


Suárez never played for Ajax again after the first biting incident; the club sold him to Liverpool during that winter’s January transfer window.

And the next question is: Does Suarez get suspended and do Uruguay keep him around for international play after...??/

And what does Liverpool do now...??? Pull the contract on the table...???

Costa Rica Knocks Off Italy, England Knocked Out

((HT: ESPN/FIFA))

Italy looks like they're another squad that might be in transition (or in need of transition) after the Forza Azzuri's 1-0 loss to Costa Rica Friday. The result puts Italy in an interesting place heading into their third match and knocks England out before their third- against Costa Rica before the knockout stages.

Here's the highlights


The Ticos haven't made the Round of 16 since 1990, but it will be interesting to see how they respond to life in the next round.

And the larger question may be the future of Prandelli and his Italian squad.

Balotelli's Maturation Stunted In World Cup Qualifier

((HT: Goal))

There was a lot of build-up in the Italy-Czech Republic qualifier the other night...

A lot of build-up that ended up in a scoreless draw that really did nothing for either side, or the fans that put their money down to see it...

But, for those that did, it was a chance to see Mario Balotelli get two yellow cards in quick succession and take out his red-carded frustrations on inanimate objects...


See...???

He could be a big league pitcher or something over here in the Colonies...

Baletlli did it: Italy slides by Germany and heads to Euro finals

Mario Balotelli

Well, it certainly didn't lack for entertainment value. And it had more scoring than the other semi-final too.

Italy beat Germany 2-1 Thursday afternoon to reach the Euro 2012 Finals against Spain. Oh, the game will be played in Ukraine for those curious.

Your star of the game: Mario Balotelli with 2 goals for Italy. Quite honestly, the storyline started on his goal in the 20th minute and ended when he scored again 16 minutes later.

And the game was relatively controversy free...so it had that going for it. Though Balotelli did create a bit of a stir after his second goal when he took off his shirt. That in soccer is cause for a Yellow Card.

It winds down, but doesn't finish what has been a highly entertaining couple of weeks. The soccer played in the tourney has been top-notch and thanks to ESPN, the games have been running in the afternoons and have drawn pretty good ratings.

It would be nice to see this kind of soccer take off here in the states, and it is showing signs of happening with the TV ratings improving and in fact exploding when Team USA plays.

We can only hope it is a precursor of things to come.

Here's the second goal, which broke Germany's back...
((HT: UEFA/youtube))