Rio de Janeiro: Luis Suarez wasn’t even in Brazil but he was in the hearts of his fans ahead of Uruguay’s round of 16 match against Colombia at the Maracana on Saturday. Even the supporters of Brazil, who have no love lost for Uruguay, were chanting his name. The Suarez mania started from the Maracana metro station itself with a fan in Uruguayan jersey showcasing a muzzle. “I’m a Brazilian. The muzzle is to express solidarity with Suarez. I think his punishment is harsh,” she said.
Uruguayan fans used Suarez masks like a badge of honour. They even posed for many clicks pretending to bite someone. Eliana Etchemendy from Uruguay said a player from the USA, Germany and England wouldn’t have been banned for four months if he had bitten someone. “I admit Luis committed a mistake. Ok, ban him for four or five matches. Not allowing him to enter any stadium for four months is ridiculous. Uruguayans breathe football and they can’t live without it,” she added.
According to another Uruguayan, it was a conspiracy by Brazil. “They fear Luis. To avoid meeting him in the quarterfinal, they hatched a conspiracy. Brazilians know what we did to them in 1950,” he said.
Amid the craze for Suarez, an Englishman stood alone wearing a muzzle and a catchy slogan on his T-shirt that read: I know I’m tasty but NO BITING. Alec Stewert said he got the T printed on Friday. “I feel the punishment to Suarez is totally justified. There are rules in football and he can’t keep violating them again and again. I can’t understand the conspiracy theories of Uruguayans,” he added.
Why is the British press blamed for the ban on Suarez? “Maybe the Empire is still powerful,” he laughed. “We are good for nothing in football and we won our only World Cup way back in 1966. I don’t know why people point fingers at us.”
