In South Africa 2010, the ugliest memory was
the infamous disharmony and feud within the Les Bleus camp, when the then
captain, Manchester United’s left-back; Patrice Evra led perhaps one of the
worst football mutinies. The then coach, Raymond Domenech was literally roasted
by a section of his players and as expected the team embarrassingly bowed out
in the group stages. The coup by the players was so glaring and ugly such that
Nicholas Anelka, Samir Nasri and Frank Ribery bore the brunt of a miffed up
Federation Francaise de Football (FFF). The lengthy bans that took special
interventions for Nasri and Ribery simply told it all. Africans too will
forever hate Uruguay’s Luis Suarez, for his hand of hand that denied Ghana’s
Black Stars an historic place in the World cup semis! He blocked a goal-bound
header with his arm, and it, Ghana’s prospects of a semi-final place were
vanquished.
At Germany 2006, the infamous head butt
Italian defender, Marco Materazzi by the French football genius cum captain,
Zinedine ‘Zizou’ Zidane will forever remain etched in our football minds.
Zidane alleged afterwards that the defender had said some not so kind words to
his ears and that is why he took him down with the thunderous headbutt, that
had moments earlier came close to netting the winning goal for France, only for
Gianluigi ‘Gigi’ Buffon to keep it out with perhaps one of the greatest reflex
saves in the history of world cup finals. Materazzi and Zidane dominated the
football talk for some time. The subsequent red card to the glorious France No
10, simply took the gas out of Les Bleus and The Azzuris went onto win the
Jules Rimet Trophy on spot-kicks. The enduring memory from Germany 06 was the
infamous Zizou head butt on Materazzi!
Fast- forward to Brazil 2014, and perhaps we
have already gotten the lasting memoir from the land of football. Uruguay’s
football gem, Luiz Suarez dug his teeth into Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini during
their penultimate match of Group D at Dunas Arena in Natal. For his
cannibalistic habit, the dreaded Uruguay talisman was hit with the heaviest
sanction in the word cup history. A staggering fine of Sh9.7 million and a
lengthy four-month ban were slapped on the striker. But to those who know this
potent striker, his mouth has landed him into trouble in the past. In November
2010, while at Ajax Amsterdam he sunk his teeth into PSV Eindhoven player,
Otman Bakkal. He racially abused
Manchester United defender, Patrice Evra on October 20 in a Premier League match.
Then in April 2013, Suarez was at it again, when he bit Chelsea defender,
Bransilav Ivanovic on the arm. Suarez is never far away from controversy!
A local newspaper in Brazil branded him a
man-eater after the Chiellini incident, and yes, Suarez has an equally potent
mouth that has now given the 2014 World Cup, a major talking point and
infamously so. The penalty meted on him by the world football governing body,
has elicited a polarized debate from all football minds.