By R.MANOGARAN
THE handshake is commonly done upon meeting, greeting, parting, offering congratulations, expressing gratitude, or completing an agreement. In sports or other competitive activities, it is also done as a sign of good sportsmanship. Its purpose is to convey trust, balance, and equality.
That is the definition of a handshake according to Wikipedia. But the days when a man’s word and handshake were his bond are long gone.
In an era when we don’t say what we mean and mean not what we say, handshakes are just a simple act of decorum without much meaning. They shake hands today and go to war tomorrow.
But it still matters in sports, where there still is a sense of honour, respect, pride and dignity. A handshake is an acknowledgement of that mutual respect before hostilities begin in the fevered pitch of sporting endeavour.
That is why a simple handshake, the refusal of which, has shaken the sports world. That is the reason for the anger and bitter condemnation. That is why Liverpool striker Luis Suarez is being raked through the coals of outrage for his moronic behaviour at Old Trafford last Saturday.
What on earth was he thinking when he snubbed Patrice Evra’s extended hand of reconciliation during the pre-match ritual?
Why couldn’t he just shake Evra’s hand and move on? Provide a closure to the ugly racism row that has riven English football and tarnished the image of the institution that is Liverpool FC.
To make matters worse, he went back on his word, having promised the Liverpool hierarchy that he would shake hands with Evra. So now he is both a “racist and a liar”.
So, why didn’t he? Why the churlish behaviour so unbecoming of a player idolised by a legion of fans the world over?
Sure, Suarez may feel aggrieved that he had been wrongly judged – and he may be right by his own perceptions and values.
What we do know is that Suarez had been found guilty of racially abusing Evra during a Premier League game and was banned for eight matches. He had served the suspension, albeit with ill grace encouraged by manager Kenny Dalglish’s misplaced support, and was expected to have learnt from that experience.
The boy from the slums of Montevideo may be uncultured and unschooled but he has been a professional in Europe long enough to know right from wrong. That such uncouth, petulant behaviour is unworthy of the player, club and game.
Footballers are not paid obscene wages to throw tantrums and behave abominably. We have enough of politicians doing that in everyday life. We don’t need our sports idols following suit.
Suarez could have saved himself and Dalglish all that grief had he swallowed his pride and done the right thing – simply shook hands with Evra.
Just imagine what that would have done for his image and Liverpool FC?
With Old Trafford filled to the brim, and millions more tuning in to watch the game, Suarez could have put a dignified end to the saga.
Had he done that, each and everyone (except the die-hard Man Utd supporters) would have forgiven him and hailed him for being man enough to own up to his blunder.
We all make mistakes but it takes courage to own up to it. Suarez had the chance to repair the damage for the greater good of his club and sport but he blew it.
Suarez did offer an apology after the game, saying how sorry he was and how he regretted not having shaken hands with Evra.
But it was all too late. The damage to his character had been done. And a written statement, after the fact, is hardly an act of sincere regret. It was, in all likelihood forced on the hot-headed recalcitrant who has put Liverpool in a very bad light.
I have been a Liverpool supporter since the early 70s. I know what the club means to the many of us who hold it dear to our hearts. To see one man tarnish that image because of his intransigence and stupidity is too much to take.
I am all for second chances. Suarez had his on Saturday – but spurned it. Now, Liverpool have a second chance too – to do the right thing to redeem the club’s pride, honour, integrity and reputation, by selling him. The message must be clear – such abhorrent behaviour will not be tolerated. The club and the game are bigger than any individual, no matter how gifted.
Above all else, Liverpool must give credence to their famous tagline “You Will Never Walk Alone”, the true meaning of which is the inclusiveness it embodies.
There is no place for bigotry and racism in that great Red world.
> Do you agree with R. Manogaran’s opinion? Either way, make yourself heard. E-mail us at starspt@thestar.com.my with your views. Selected comments will be published.
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Pure Bullshit ! All these talk about racism. As if none of us will act the way Suarez did it it became overly emotional. Footballers are humans too.
Why don’t all those who are Holier Than Thou pressure Sir Alex Ferguson to sell off Rooney for displaying excessive violence on the field? HYPOCRITES ALL.
I WALK WITH KENNY DALGLISH ON HIS DEFENSE OF SUAREZ. WE DON’T ABANDON ONE OF OUR OWNS.
Alex Ferguson, Patrice Evra and Man U have all been portrayed as angels throughout the whole incident, how can one not AlexFerguson and Man U accountable for the hypocrisy of being a righteous judge where his own record of absolutely disgraceful&despicable players like Eric Cantona and Wayne Rooney (just a few of the many examples of ManU players) just let off the hook so easily? Why do the FA allow the leeway of waving the handshake in the recent QPR vs Chelsea match when it involved two British players (John Terry and Anton Ferdinand) having problem with racial issues??? Such righteous hypocrisy, makes us all sick to the stomach!!! YNWQ
And here we focus on Suarez and ignore the other 2 guilty party.. Rio and Evra. Sure, Suarez triggered it.. but would it be right for Rio and Evra to behave that way in response? Had Evra celebrated in front of Suarez, and Suarez punched him in the face, would Evra ever be guilty?
I agree with you for selling Suarez.. but not until we find a good replacement. Soon, you’ll be writing how poor Liverpool are without a deadly striker, and how their poor form is embarrassing, etc.
You see Mourinho defending his players when they are in the wrong, You see Wenger defending his players in the same situation, you see SAF defending his players all the time even when the English FA hands a few match ban for excessive violence ( i bet N9 can’t see this coz he’s blind )
what else would a Liverpool fan expect from Kenny Dalglish – of coz to defend his top striker ( a top performing one at that )
How else would you expect to instil a sense of loyalty in your players otherwise if your own team manager don’t fight for you?
R.Manogaran should go support other team !
What If Suarez is simply innocent…?
I believed Suarez did utter those racial words, but its probably in the heat of the moment. He’s only a human afterall. The question is whether he meant those words off the field. If he did, then he’s a pure racist and yes, Liverpool should get rid of him. But offloading him to refusing to shake the hands of someone who had got him punished ( if he didnt mean the words ), come on … as if SAF is that righteous himself.
Who was the one who refused to meet up with Liverpool management to resolve the Suarez-Evra issue in the first place. Talk about unsporting behaviour …. MAKES ME SICK !
and it makes you wonder why the insult ‘sudaca’ as mentioned by evra went unpunished by the FA..
Sir Alex Ferguson wants Liverpool to offload Suarez ( in the excuse guise of so called unsporting behavior ) so Liverpool will forever remain in the doldrums and not be a threat to them. Same reason as why he wants Rednapp to be England manager, becoz Tottenham is now an actual threat to them.
If SAF is so righteous, then he should do the right thing by selling off Rooney in the first place for all his stamping on opponents. That’s such as shame for a big club like MU to be tarnished with the moronic acts of its prize striker. But what do they do? Treat Rooney as if he could do no wrong? And extend his contract?
PURE HYPOCRISY AT ITS BEST.
Stamping on opponents and racism are two different thing, you moron
of coz its 2 different things, idiot ! I fail to see using a racial word in a heated moment is worse than causing injury to an opponent . But what would an idiot like you know, right?
Would you like it if some called you ‘negro’ seven times? Moron
negro means black in spanish, who’s the moron now
STFU R. Manogaran.
Richie, what stamping are you on about now w.r.t Rooney?
I am glad SAF said Suarez needs to go – if I was SAF, I would have said Suarez and Daglish needs to go.
I am sorry to say but like one of the guys said below, you guys will even walk with Kenny, even if Suarez murdered someone. You dont know where to draw a line and because of supporters club like yours gives the name to football a bad view.
take aim at one person, not the supporters club.. as if MUFC and SAF’s past (and you as an Man U supporter) don’t give MU a bad name. Rooney’s temper does give MU a bad name, just you choose not to see it.. I supposed you would agree rio’s snub and wat evra did after the game was right..
And why wouldn’t I? Your whole team wore shirt supporting Suarez on the day he was charged and now suddenly Rio refusing to shake his hands in retaliation to Suarez’s refusal is all crime? Or the fact that after Suarez’s behaviour, you think its not right but you can understand Evra’s celeb? Rooney’s temper doesnt just give United a bad name, it gives England a bad name too. But he doesnt go around calling black people ‘n’ does he? And when he does that and if SAF stands by him, then come back to me and ask the same question again.
If any, I was disappointed the rest of the team shook his hands. They shouldnt have, then again they couldnt see what has happened.
Lol, and I thought you guys back up each other. Your own supporter says he should go, and because you disagree you ask him to support another team?? Nice…
Fans can be divided over opinions.. you’re not that naive, are you? A Man U fan, u call yourself?? Equally nice…
opinions can be divided so as long as you dont criticise a fan just because his opinion is different than yours. I don call myself a Man U fan, I am a fan of Mancheter United.
Educated person would know what the difference is. Low life like you would know nothing.
Ryan Giggs touted as the next Man United manager is a lowlife, shagging someone within the family. Man United back in the 70′s was well respected because when the then manager Tommy Docherty had an affair with a physio’s wife, he was sacked. And now Fergie is recommending this Welsh wanker to succeed him..my…how times have changed at Old Trafford. Arise? More like bend over!
This guy is a typical FAN not Liverpool Supporter… you make me want to puke Mano.
LOL @ Excessive violence.
Whatever rocks your boat…
It is this kind of negative reaction to efforts to stifle racism that make it such an insurmountable issue!
Yes its true there may be some idiots out there who have no control over their emotions who would act like Suarez but there are those who genuinely love the “joga bonita” game of soccer be it LFC supporters or otherwise who would no doubt condemn Suarez for his uncivil not to mention unsportsmanlike behaviour which has blotted the image of this game and the Club.
The issue here is RACISM so please comment on how we need to address it and not how we are so proud to support it ! Having said that I suppose there are some who would walk with Kenny into the dark abyss of eternal ignorance and apathy.
The issue here is all you moronic idiots who try to portray a Holier Than Thou attitude over the act of an individual in a heated moment.
At least my boat is rocking, but you probably can’t see it coz u’re probably using your monkey hands to close both your eyes to everything around you
Some unfortunate imbeciles totally miss the point that there is no preaching or high pedestal stance taken here merely commenting on a serious issue affecting the sport today.The cast of actors are incidental The aggressive nature of their answer unequivocally reflects their pathethic lack of ability to argue and articulate rationally ….. a trait so prevalent in those poor souls who are obviously facing a crisis of self confidence….Whats next ? Perhaps an expletive riddled reply to this discourse? Or perhaps some display of maturity in actually discussing the issue at hand ?
Richie says “What’s wrong with portraying a Holier-Than-Thou attitude?” That’s the whole point of a forum isn’t it?
If you can justify calling some a “negro” in “a heated moment”, then no wonder Malaysia is full of racist bigots such as yourself!
And, stamping on people is different from racism you numb-skull.
Richie says “As if none of us will act the way Suarez did it it became overly emotional. Footballers are humans too.”!!!
Clearly this Richie Nga has some issues comprehending the term “sportsmanship”.
If you have the brains to digest this issue at hand, it was not about racism but about an unsporting behaviour.
It was about forcing someone to tender a meaningless apology by gesture of shaking hands to further ridicule and deprive that person of his dignity.
So perhaps you should brush up your own intepretation of the article before u claim it was about Racism ! MORON !
Thank You Mr Richie Nga You have just proven my point Your “educated ” answer speaks volumes of the puny amount of grey matter subsisting within that cavity you call a brain
If you had the slightest inkling of what is happening in this matter then you would know that it all stems from the initial issue of racism ….anyway how is the shaking of hands depriving someone of his dignity ??Your sense of logic is only exceeded by your single digit IQ as is evident by your rude answer
You obviously have no clue as to what being a gentleman is about so lets not waste further time prolonging this matter since you clearly cannot control your emotions which may explain why you support such a stance by the racist Suarez
Have a Nice day and Happy Valentines haha !
LOL – creating numerous identities here Gibbson?
I don’t know how I reinforced your point . I have been calling you a douchebag, that can’t be your point, right???