What is Liverpool Managing Director Ian Ayre thinking?
Luis Suarez has just completed a 10-match suspension and returned to action last night. And now that he’s back and that episode is over, the Reds have finally gotten a chance to wash away the Suarez storyline and to focus on the rest of their season. But Ayre speaks up in public and brings the Suarez story back into the spotlight again by saying that the Uruguayan striker has damaged Liverpool’s brand.
How is that helpful to Suarez, Brendan Rodgers, the club or its supporters? It’s counterproductive.
Ayre was speaking at the Sport Industry breakfast in London, where he said this about Suarez’s past at Liverpool:
“Any types of incident of that nature are damaging to the brand.
“As a footballer, he’s a street fighter, he’s a larger-than-life character.
“Nobody is condoning any bad behavior but it’s just something you have to deal with. He is what he is, he is the character he is, and we have to try and harness that.
“We are very much an institution and we base ourselves on family values, and when your kids are naughty you tell them off and you try to teach them the error of your ways. It’s no different.”
The timing of this speech by Ayre is awful. What is he thinking?
Here are today’s world soccer news headlines:
Premier League
- Luis Suárez ‘has damaged’ Liverpool’s brand, says managing director — The Guardian
- Patrick Vieira insists foreign imports not to blame for England’s failure — Metro
- Patrick Vieira says antiquated English coaching methods are stopping progression of young talents — Telegraph
- Rodgers and Liverpool have the cyclic nature of football on their side — The Politics of Football
- The 5 football video games that time forgot — Sabotage Times
- Sone Aluko ‘sure’ he will sign new deal at Hull City as Newcastle goal alerts Premier League rivals — Hull Daily Mail
- Gus Poyet: I’m ready for Sunderland manager’s job – I’ve been spying on flops for months — Metro
- Paul Canoville: Chelsea pioneer on racism, rehab and redemption — BBC Sport
- Peter Odemwingie’s emergence gives Malky Mackay a real Craig Bellamy dilemma at Cardiff City — Wales Online
- Shots and key passes are better than goals and assists — StatsBomb
- Alan Pardew praises emergance of Newcastle United youngsters Paul Dummett and Sammy Ameobi — Telegraph
- Southampton striker Billy Sharp joins Reading on emergency loan — Sky Sports
- Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas admits he’s in constant contact with PSG — The Mail
- Santi Cazorla rules himself out for Napoli match but says he could return against West Brom — Independent
International soccer
- Qatar World Cup construction ‘will leave 4,000 migrant workers dead’ — The Guardian
- Qatar 2022 World Cup organisers appalled by work conditions — BBC Sport
- Bulgarian footballer suspended after testing positive for drugs at World Cup qualifier — Telegraph
La Liga
Serie A
- Roma moves to first in Serie A — New York Times
Football League
- PST keeps the faith and, piece by piece, puts Pompey back on the rails — Inside World Football
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