Luis Suarez bite: Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish says the striker 'needs help'
The Uruguayan will not play football again until after late October after ban
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Former Liverpool player and manager Kenny Dalglish is confident the club will not turn their back on Luis Suarez, whom he believes needs help to control his emotions.
The Uruguayan was given a four-month ban by Fifa from carrying out any football-related activities after biting Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini in their World Cup clash earlier this week.
It is the third time Suarez has been suspended for biting an opponent and Liverpool have faced calls to cut their losses with the controversial striker, despite his outstanding campaign for the Reds last season, when he scored 31 Premier League goals in 33 matches.
Yet Dalglish, who brought Suarez to Anfield from Ajax in January 2011, thinks more understanding needs to be shown to the 27-year-old.
The Scot said in his Daily Mirror column: "It is my belief that when you bring a player to a football club, he becomes your responsibility. You don't just turn you back on a player because he has done something wrong.
"I think you will find that Liverpool will not turn their back on Suarez, whatever the ban Fifa have decided he must serve. Of course it will be a heavy blow if the club has to do without him for the opening months of the season.
"You can't really ask any one person why what happened against Italy happened, because there is only person who knows and that is Luis - some people have -injuries you can't see.
"Sometimes, when people have something wrong with them, just because they don't have a plaster cast on their leg, people think they don't need help."
Dalglish thinks the punishment is harsh on Liverpool as the incident was out of their control.
"When he was punished by the FA for the biting incident with Branislav Ivanovic and banned from domestic games, he was still allowed to play for his national team," he added.
"It seems a bit strange, then, that when he is banned for something he did with his national team, his club has to suffer, too."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments