Football Express News looks at Barcelona’s decision to chase Liverpool’s Luis Suarez, an act which our editor Ben Crump says will go against their recent history.
Barcelona are continuing to press Liverpool for the services of Luis Suarez, despite his recent actions for Uruguay which saw him bite the shoulder of Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup in Brazil.
The 27-year-old striker has since been issued a nine-match international ban and a four month ban from any footballing activity.
His recent actions follow several incidents in his career, such as a racial comment made to Manchester United’s Patrice Evra, a similar bite on Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic and poor behaviour during his time in Holland and in his native Uruguay.
Barca are determined to sign Suarez with new boss Luis Enrique keen for the striker to play in a new look front three with Neymar and Lionel Messi.
However, our editor Ben Crump has touched on smaller incidents which Barcelona condemned in the past involving Mario Balotelli and Keita Balde Diao, prompting a strange turnaround in standards from the Catalan club.
Italian striker Balotelli enjoyed a successful spell in Barcelona’s famed La Masia in 2006, but the Catalan club chose not to sign him due to his agents, although it is heard that his attitude had a big part to play.
Later, Lazio striker Keita Balde Diao was exiled in 2011 after he played a practical joke on his team-mates, placing ice-cubes in their beds.
“Barcelona have held a strict policy on behaviour for as long as anyone can remember, more so since the days of Ronaldinho, Deco and Samuel Eto’o,” Crump noted.
“Kids at the club are binded by a strict notice of rules and regulations which they must not break and which they follow through to senior level.
“Surely signing Suarez is against this, should they not have kept Balotelli and Keita – a Catalan striker.”