Luis Suarez bites Giorgio Chiellini – does the talented footballer need counselling again?

Luis Suarez has done it again, for the third time he has bitten an opponent and this time on the biggest stage in the world. Why does he do it? What goes on in his mind? It seemed like Suarez had left

By: Nirmalya Dutta | | Published: June 25, 2014 11:25 am

Luis Suarez has done it again, for the third time he has bitten an opponent and this time on the biggest stage in the world. Why does he do it? What goes on in his mind? It seemed like Suarez had left behind his biting ways after the Branislav Ivanovic incident in a Premier League match but here he’s done it again, sinking his teeth into the shoulders of Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini which was followed by him going down actually holding his teeth. It seemed like this phase was over, that he had learned his lesson and moved on. It certainly seemed like that last season as Suarez lit up the Premier League and had one of the best seasons ever seen in a domestic season as he destroyed defences. Only till yesterday he was a national hero who had scored two goals against England and condemned them to the ignominy of group state exit from the World Cup. But then the madness erupted again… Also Read - Mental illnesses on the rise in India: Know why and what you can do to fight the problem

Also Read - Spend time in nature to reduce work stress and improve mental health

Is genius deemed to be flawed? We’ve seen it enough times in football, the red mist descends and they do things that no human would rationally do. It certainly happened to Zinedine Zidane, as he lost all composure and head-butted Marco Materrazi (maybe there’s something about Italian defenders, that makes talented players lose their cool) in a World Cup final which resulted in a red card and condemned France to a penalty shoot-out defeat. Also Read - Food insufficiency during COVID-19 pandemic increases depression and anxiety symptoms

Eric Cantona, another mercurial Frenchman was prone to such bouts of madness which once saw him karate kick a supporter during a match! While FIFA contemplates the action it will take against Suarez, football pundit Stan Collymore said that any ban imposed on Suarez must be put in the context of a mental health evaluation.

If FIFA, decided to impose a ban, it could range from ten games to even two years but does Suarez actually need intense therapy instead of being banned form the field? After all this is the third time that he has bitten an opponent, doing so once in the Holland when he was playing for Ajax, once in the Premier League and now in the World Cup. Collymore earlier tweeted that perhaps Suarez needed counselling: ‘Suarez need counselling/support, not a complete hammering. But also the rules are clear on biting so will get another ban.’

Suarez has worked with a psychiatrist before to rein in his dark side. He worked with Dr Steve Peters, a sports psychiatrist who has worked with the likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan and the British cycling team. Following the Ivanovic incident last year, another sports psychologist Dr Thomas Fawcett of the University of Salford had said that he expected Suarez to bite another opponent within five years. ‘I would think that in five years’ time if there was a certain nerve hit or chord rung with Suarez in a different situation he would react in the same way,’ said Dr Fawcett.

His club manager Brendan Rodgers had said before Suarez started working with Dr Steve hoping he would help Luis deal with his issues. ‘What we try to do with all the players is ensure there’s a support mechanism there to help their human needs. People look at football players and because of their money and their status, they are deemed as different. But a football player is no different to a plumber, a joiner or a bricklayer. Sometimes with players it’s not just about motivation, sometimes there are clinical issues. That can be forgotten about because they have a lot of money.’

This was while Suarez was serving his eight-match ban after biting Ivanovic. It certainly looked like the sessions had helped as Suarez eschewed all disciplinary problems and lit up the Premier League to pick up numerous personal accolades and almost led Liverpool to the Premier League title for the first time since 1989-90. Sadly, it looks like Suarez has regressed back to his dark side and is cursed to live with the flashes of madness that will forever tarnish his reputation as one of the top footballers to play the game.