Suarez being made to pay the penalty for diving antics

After all the mischief Liverpool’s Luis Suarez has created on the football pitch, it is difficult to see him in the role of victim.



But that’s exactly what has happened. Since his arrival in the Premier League, the Uruguay striker has attracted a reputation for diving, which is now resulting in him - and his club - being deprived of spot kicks.



The Liverpool manager, Brendan Rodgers, made a plea for referees to give his side penalties last week. But it didn’t work on Saturday as another stonewall spot kick was not awarded at Carrow Road. Mike Jones was the referee who denied the visitors this week after Mark Halsey disappointed Rodgers the week before at Anfield.

Stonewall: Suarez is bundled over in the box by Barnett

Suarez was brought down by Norwich’s Leon Barnett as he bore down on goal. It was one of the easiest decisions of the season and yet Jones, a competent referee, waved appeals away.

The fact that it was Suarez again can only leave the impression that it is his reputation as a player who goes down too easily that is affecting referees’ decision making.

Victim: Suarez is suffering from his reputation as a diver

What is clear is that Liverpool’s opponents are pressurising referees by their strong reactions whenever Suarez goes down. This time, the Norwich players immediately indicated that there was no foul and appeared to claim that the Uruguayan had dived.



It’s not surprising this situation has occurred. Suarez has been cautioned three times for simulation, twice last season and once this, making him the most cautioned player for that offence. Last season, Sir Alex Ferguson accused him of diving ‘all over the place’.



Referees hate being duped and would rather miss a ‘soft’ penalty than give one when a player has dived.



I always tried to clear my mind of any previous incidents but, when refereeing a player such as Cristiano Ronaldo in his early days at Manchester United, I would be more likely to wave aside appeals from him than I would if Roy Keane went to ground.



It is human nature and Rodgers needs to accept that it will take more than a plea from him to change Suarez’s reputation.

