The heated and volatile series of derbies between Catalan clubs Barcelona and Espanyol saw Luis Suarez slapped with a two match ban for allegedly provoking opposition players.
Luis Suarez is no stranger to controversy. He is as much in the news for his unsportsmanlike antics, as he is for his achievements on the pitch. The highlights include racially taunting French defender Patrice Evra and biting Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini during the World Cup, and his latest antics came after the first leg of the Copa del Rey tie between Barcelona and Espanyol.
The Uruguayan allegedly insulted rival players and provoked a scuffle in the tunnel after his team defeated Espanyol 4-1. He was subsequently slapped with a two match ban by the Spanish Football Federation and missed out on Barca’s 2-0 triumph in the second leg.
However, after his hat-trick against their Quarter Final opposition Athletic Bilbao in the La Liga, Suarez seems to be hopeful that the ban will be overturned so he can try to score against the same team again in the first leg of the Copa del Rey Quarters.
“About the sanction, I don’t know if I will play but my conscience is clear because I did not say anything,” Suarez said after scoring a hat-trick in the 6-0 La Liga win over Athletic on Sunday, according to fourfourtwo.com.
Will Suarez ever learn?
Despite being a phenomenal striker, Luis Suarez’s long list of unsportsmanlike activities have ensured that he is definitely not one of the most respected players around. Even when he first burst upon the scene, during the 2010 World Cup, a deliberate handball in the quarter finals against Ghana that helped Uruguay make it to the next round earned him censure.
Since then he has only made himself more of a pantomime villain in world football. His recent ban is the latest in a string of disciplinary actions against him. But it remains to be seen whether anything can make Suarez realise that he needs to conduct himself like a professional sportsman.
