naijaXclusive: Suarez

Xclusive: Luis Suarez To Work With Sports Psychologist On Anger Issues

<a data-rel="prettyPhoto" href="http://cdn.360nobs.pagenanny.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Work-pics1113.jpg" rel="prettyPhoto"><img alt="Luis Suarez to work with sports psychologist Steve Peters on anger issues" itemprop="image" src="http://cdn.360nobs.pagenanny.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Work-pics1113.jpg" /></a> 
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Snooker world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan says he has sympathy with Liverpool striker Luis Suarez and can understand his “moment of madness”.</div>
 
O’Sullivan, 37, has worked with sports psychiatrist Dr Steve Peters, and believes he can help the Uruguayan. 
 
Suarez, 26, was banned for 10 games for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic and O’Sullivan compared it to when he quit during a match against Stephen Hendry. 
“I understand what Suarez did – I totally get it,” said O’Sullivan. 
“It’s a moment of madness and you think, ‘Wow, what have I done?’ It’s like me walking out against Hendry. 
 
“You regret it afterwards, but at that moment you are over-run by these emotions.” 
O’Sullivan was fined £20,000 after quitting in the sixth frame while trailing 4-1 in a best-of-17-frame UK Championship quarter-final against Hendry in December 2006. 
However, O’Sullivan, who struggled to stay focused in long matches earlier in his career, began working with Peters in 2011 and went on to win the 2012 World Snooker Championship, his fourth success at the Crucible. 
 
Now in the quarter-finals in his first major tournament after taking time away from the sport following last year’s world title victory, O’Sullivan credits Peters for making him mentally stronger. 
 
“Dr Steve Peters has been great to me,” added O’Sullivan. “I’ve really worked hard with Steve and tried to take on board everything he’s shown me and spoken to me about and I’m benefiting from it massively. 
 
“Ever since I first saw him, before the 2011 World Championship, for the whole year leading up to winning the World Championship last year, I worked really hard on trying to get hold of my emotions and my brain. 
 
“Not once have you been able to see me lose the plot. Sometimes inside I feel it’s tough and it’s challenging, but I’m able to overcome that. 
 
“That [a walkout] won’t happen again, none of those meltdowns will happen, no matter how frustrated I may be with myself out there. I’m able to put that on hold until the game’s finished.” 
With Suarez set to be banned until the end of September, O’Sullivan believes Liverpool and Peters – who has already been working with the club – will be able to help the Uruguayan control his temper when he returns to action. 
 
“It’s not a quick fix with Steve, but if Liverpool stick with him and Brendan Rodgers they’ll win the title,” said O’Sullivan. 
 
“If Liverpool can have Steve there for four or five years then they’ll win the Premier League.” 
- BBC Sport

Xclusive: Luis Suarez To Work With Sports Psychologist On Anger Issues

Snooker world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan says he has sympathy with Liverpool striker Luis Suarez and can understand his “moment of madness...

1:17 pm

Xclusive Sports: Suares Banned For 10 Games Over Bite

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Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has been banned for 10 games by the Football Association for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic</div>
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The incident happened during Sunday's 
 
<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/22141299" title="Liverpool v Chelsea report">2-2 draw between the sides.</a> </div>
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 The 26-year-old later 
 
<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/22242464" title="Luis Suarez apologises">apologised for biting the Chelsea defender</a>

and was fined by Liverpool on Monday.
</div>
The club, who have until Friday at 12:00 BST to appeal,
 said they were "shocked and disappointed" at the length of the 
suspension.

Uruguay international Suarez had accepted the FA charge
 of violent conduct but claimed his ban should be three games, the 
standard punishment for violent conduct.

<a class="external-link" href="http://www.thefa.com/News/governance/2013/apr/luis-suarez-violent-conduct-charge-liverpool-chelsea-ivanovic-ten-matches.aspx">An FA statement read: </a>

"A three-person independent regulatory commission today upheld the 
FA's claim that a suspension of three matches was clearly insufficient 
and the player will serve a further seven first-team matches in addition
 to the standard three. The suspension begins with immediate effect.

"The Liverpool forward had accepted a charge of violent
 conduct but had denied the FA's claim that the standard three-match 
sanction was insufficient for the offence.

"The incident was not seen by the match officials and has therefore been retrospectively reviewed.

"Suarez has until midday on Friday 26 April to appeal 
[against] the additional suspension, above the standard three matches."

The ban covers their final four games of this season, and the first six games of 2013-14.

Reds managing director Ian Ayre said: "Both the club 
and player are shocked and disappointed at the severity of today's 
independent regulatory commission decision.

"We await the written reasons tomorrow before making any further comment."

It is not the first time Suarez has been charged with such an offence. He was 
 
<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/9225097.stm" title="Luis Suarez banned for biting">banned for seven games</a>

when he was at Ajax after biting PSV Eindhoven midfielder Otman Bakkal's shoulder during a match in November 2010.

During his time at Liverpool, he was also given an 
eight-match ban and £40,000 fine by the FA for racially abusing 
Manchester United left-back Patrice Evra in December 2011. 
 
Suarez is on the six-man shortlist for the Professional Footballers' 
Association player of the year award and PFA chief executive Gordon 
Taylor earlier said: "It would be embarrassing if he is named player of 
the year but we have got to deal with it and make sure he is player of 
the year not just in a footballing sense but as a human being as well 
and we will be trying to do that."  
<h2>
Longest bans handed out by FA</h2>
<ul>
<li> 9 months

 - Manchester United's Eric Cantona for 'kung-fu' kicking a supporter in 1995
</li>
<li> 9 months

 - Chelsea keeper Mark Bosnich who tested positive for cocaine in 2003
</li>
<li> 8 months

 - Rio Ferdinand of Manchester United for missing a drugs test in 2003
</li>
<li> 12 games 

 - QPR's Joey Barton for two counts of violent conduct against Manchester City players in 2012
</li>
<li> 11 games 

 - Sheffield Wednesday's Paolo Di Canio for pushing referee Paul Alcock in 1998
</li>
<li> 10 games

 - Southampton's David Prutton for shoving referee Alan Wiley in 2005
</li>
<li> 10 games - Luis Suarez for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic in 2013

</li>
<li> 9 games 

 - Paul Davis of Arsenal for punching Southampton's Glenn Cockerill in 1988 and breaking his jaw
</li>
<li> 8 games 

 - Luis Suarez for racially abusing Patrice Evra in 2011
</li>
<li> 8 games 

 - Man City's Ben Thatcher for elbowing Portsmouth's Pedro Mendes in 2006
</li>
<li> 5 weeks

 - Man Utd's Roy Keane for comments made in his autobiography in 2002 </li>
</ul>

Xclusive Sports: Suares Banned For 10 Games Over Bite

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has been banned for 10 games by the Football Association for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic Th...

4:48 pm

Xclusive: Suarez, Van Persie, Bale Shortlisted For PFA Player Of The Year – See Full Nomination Lists

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The
 Professional Footballers’ Association has announced its six-man 
shortlist for the Player of the Year award, with Gareth Bale the odds-on
 bookmakers’ favourite to win it for a second time. <a href="http://www.gistnaija.com/" name="more" style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.796875px;"></a> Bale and Hazard are also nominated for the Young Player award, along with Jack Wilshere of Arsenal, West Brom’s on-loan Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku, Aston Villa hotshot Christian Benteke and Manchester United’s Danny Welbeck. Andy Gray of Aston Villa (1976-77) and Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo (2006-07) are the only players to have won both the senior and junior awards in the same year. Bale,
 the Player of the Year winner in 2010-11, has had an outstanding season
 for Spurs, driving their challenge for a top-four finish as well as 
their Europa League campaign. The
 Wales international’s performances have drawn admiration from across 
the globe, and he has scored 17 Premier League goals and has 22 in all 
competitions. Former
 Arsenal striker Van Persie – the current Player of the Year – makes the
 list after his stellar performances in the first half of the season 
effectively proved the difference in the title race, helping United open
 up the gap that will surely result in a 20th crown. His goal at West Ham on Wednesday was his 21st in the Premier League, and he has 25 in all competitions. Michael
 Carrick makes the list after his most consistent season for United 
since joining from Spurs in 2006. Carrick, along with Patrice Evra, has 
played the most games for the Red Devils this season, with 38 
appearances. Although
 Suarez, with 22 goals, is the Premier League’s top scorer with five 
rounds of games to go, the Uruguay international is considered an 
outsider for the PFA award due to a lack of popularity among his fellow 
professionals. Mata
 has been one of the most exciting players in the Premier League over 
the past two seasons, with this campaign seeing the Spain international 
step up his performances still further. With
 10 goals and 11 assists in the Premier League, coupled with another 
eight goals and 15 assists in other competitions, he has been Chelsea’s 
most consistent and creative player. Hazard,
 who moved to Chelsea from Lille in the summer, had an explosive start 
to his Stamford Bridge career with four goals and an assist in his first
 three matches. However, the Belgian struggled for consistency over the winter months, which may make him an outsider for the main award. Of
 the other players on the list for the Young Player award, Wilshere is a
 surprise name considering that he has made only 20 Premier League 
starts and was out injured until October. Despite
 his impressive performances for Arsenal, it would seem unlikely that he
 will add a second award to the one he won in 2010-11. The
 presence of Lukaku on the list means a third Chelsea player is up for 
an award, although he has done all his good work on loan at West 
Bromwich Albion. With
 13 goals, he has helped fire the Baggies to a top-half finish, but it 
is unlikely that they will be able to retain his services beyond the end
 of this season. United’s
 Welbeck may also be considered a surprise inclusion considering his 
lack of goals. With just one Premier League goal, against Stoke in 
October, most of his good work has been done around the area and he was 
particularly impressive in the 1-1 draw at Real Madrid in the Champions 
League. Villa
 striker Benteke will be many people’s pick as the most deserving winner
 of the award, though the players who vote may disagree. Without
 his goals – he has 15 in the league – Villa would already be relegated,
 and he has grown immeasurably in confidence over the course of his 
debut season in England. Tottenham’s Kyle Walker is the current holder of the Young Player award. PFA Player Of The Year List Robin Van Persie - Manchester United Micheal Carrick - Manchester United Eden Hazard - Chelsea Juan Mata - Chelsea Luis Suarez - Liverpool Gareth Bale - Tottenham (Soccernet)

Xclusive: Suarez, Van Persie, Bale Shortlisted For PFA Player Of The Year – See Full Nomination Lists

The Professional Footballers’ Association has announced its six-man shortlist for the Player of the Year award, with Gareth Bale the odd...

3:28 am