15-06-2018, 17:02
They were discussing Suarez on MOTD prior to today's Egypt-Uruguay clash, and after showing a clip of the handball against Ghana in 2010, I was astonished to hear Jermaine Jenas say "at the end of the day, if an England player did that to get us into the semi-finals then we'd all be delighted."
Maybe I'm a dinosaur, maybe I'm just out of touch, but to be honest Jermaine, if an England player cheated that badly and blatantly to win a match - especially against underdog opposition - then I'd be disgusted, not delighted. Short of unprovoked physical assault (which Chewie Louie also has on his extensive CV), there's no worse way of cheating in a game of football than to deliberately and flagrantly use your hand to score a goal or prevent a goal. Even hacking a player down when they're through on goal is more defensible than that. Fair play in football has been eroded through the years to the extent that it's almost meaningless now, but it's not quite so meaningless that your average fan can't spot a born cheat when they see one.
Not that England are ever likely to find ourselves in that position, but if we do, then win it fair and square as the Germans do. The moment you go down the Suarez/Maradona road, there's just no point anymore.
Maybe I'm a dinosaur, maybe I'm just out of touch, but to be honest Jermaine, if an England player cheated that badly and blatantly to win a match - especially against underdog opposition - then I'd be disgusted, not delighted. Short of unprovoked physical assault (which Chewie Louie also has on his extensive CV), there's no worse way of cheating in a game of football than to deliberately and flagrantly use your hand to score a goal or prevent a goal. Even hacking a player down when they're through on goal is more defensible than that. Fair play in football has been eroded through the years to the extent that it's almost meaningless now, but it's not quite so meaningless that your average fan can't spot a born cheat when they see one.
Not that England are ever likely to find ourselves in that position, but if we do, then win it fair and square as the Germans do. The moment you go down the Suarez/Maradona road, there's just no point anymore.
"I would rather spend a holiday in Tuscany than in the Black Country, but if I were compelled to choose between living in West Bromwich or Florence, I should make straight for West Bromwich." - J.B. Priestley