to think that physical assault is worse than verbal racial abuse?

[MadCap]

Dh and I are having a disagreement discussion about Louis Suarez and his punishment. I said 10 matches is a fair ban because he got an 8 match ban for racial abuse. Dh argues that racist abuse trumps a physical assault. I said that intentionally physically harming someone has to be worse than a verbal assault no matter how abhorrent.

He actually told me to ask the MN jury to rule on this one.

[ChameleonCircuit]

I'm with you. Physical assault trumps verbal.

[squeakytoy]

It should have been a life ban..

[MadCap]

I don't disagree Squeaky

[jackstini]

YANBU - verbal can be awful but biting definitely trumps it!

[Binkyridesagain]

So he's been banned for racial abuse and now he's been banned for assault? Personally I think he should be sacked.

[hellhasnofurylikeahungrywoman]

If any one of us carried on like that in our employment I would imagine we'd be sacked. He should be sacked too. Whinging about the ban does him and his club no favours at all.

[Fargo86]

Football is a physical game. It's fairly easy for the physicality to get out of hand. Biting is another kettle of fish though.

[NoSuchFairytale]

I think it should have been more than 10. That's like a walk in the park. He'll be back on field in no time. This isn't his first offence - he's a dirty player. Liverpool sticking with him is a compete joke. They should cut their losses.

[TSO]

Ask your husband to choose between me calling him a piece of white trash/black scumbag/Asian rubbish/nasty immigrant/whatever and giving him a kick in the shins with a football boot-shod foot. Then if he says he'd rather the kick than the words put some boots on and kick him hard.

Then ask him again and see how quick he is to change his mind.

YANBU. To call someone a name is one thing, physical violence takes it to a completely different level.

[complexnumber]

Ask your husband to choose between me calling him a piece of white trash/black scumbag/Asian rubbish/nasty immigrant/whatever and giving him a kick in the shins with a football boot-shod foot. Then if he says he'd rather the kick than the words put some boots on and kick him hard.

I really don't understand where this post is going. Is it a 'sticks and stones may hurt my bones' type. I may be being thick.

[SirBoobAlot]

Why on earth does it have to be a competition?

Verbal abuse is still deliberately hurting someone.

[thornrose]

In my view a quick and undeserved kick out of temper can soon be forgotten.

A verbal assault on my race or character would stick with me for longer.

[Tenacity]

The problem is that racial abuse is 'loaded'.
It's not just verbal abuse. Ask anyone who has experienced it. There is a reason why it's illegal and a criminal offence.

[MrsTerryPratchett]

It depends. If the other player heard this abuse in school, on the street, everywhere from a young age... That might really be horribly abusive. A bite is repulsive and a rare and weird behaviour. Someone at his club might want to talk to a psychologist about why he is doing something that is normally something rather nasty offenders do.

Either way, I would have been sacked for this and possibly prosecuted. He should be too.

[HollyBerryBush]

Are you talking about that one situation or generally?

I would have thought a sustained campaign of verbal abuse (no mater the form) is bullying and if you aren't emotionally equipped to deal with it - then you are set for a life time of psychological struggles to deal with the way it can affect your confidence.

[mynewpassion]

In the Saurez cases, the verbal abuse was worse than the biting. Biting is an "assault" but it was just a bite. The other player will not miss a game. I don't think even the skin was broken. Calling someone the n-word is alot worse in this comparison. And, it could have been a sustained verbal abuse throughout the game.

Its a case by case scenario. If Saurez had broken the other player's leg in deliberate action, I would agree with you.