• Premier League

Suarez: FIFA critic wants to be famous

ESPN staff
October 13, 2012

Luis Suarez has, with quotes from an interview on Argentinian radio quoted in the Sun, hit back at FIFA vice-president Jim Boyce's allegations that the Liverpool striker has been guilty of "cheating".

Suarez, 25, has gained a reputation for simulation since his £22 million move from Ajax to Liverpool in January 2011, with the forward recently coming in for criticism from Stoke City boss Tony Pulis for an apparent dive in their 0-0 draw last weekend.

Northern Irishman Boyce, Britain's representative at FIFA, was critical of the Uruguay international after the incident, and went as far as to suggest that diving is "a little bit of a cancer within the game".

On Friday, the Uruguayan Football Association called for an Ethics Committee investigation into Boyce's comments, with the body branding them "unacceptable" and writing to FIFA president Sepp Blatter.

Suarez himself has now reacted to Boyce's words. In an interview on Argentinian radio, he is quoted as saying by the Sun: "This guy (Boyce), I've no idea who he is.

"I don't know why he has been talking about me. He certainly can't be well-known and he wants to get publicity. Let him carry on talking. My job is to play football and to try to do so in the best way possible.

"What he has said does not affect me. I am not interested in what he has to say. It's been important to have the support of the Uruguayan FA and the people."

Suarez, who played for his country in Friday night's 3-0 World Cup qualifying defeat to Argentina, has endured a difficult 12 months in English football after he was banned for eight matches after being found guilty of racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra.

Reflecting on the last 12 months, the striker added: "I have lived through a lot in the past year, with people saying things about me, but I have continued playing and proving my job is what happens on the pitch."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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