Luis Suarez Is the Most Fouled Player in the EPL, According to Report
One of my favorite soccer sites, Football365, just released their team-by-team list of key statistics for this year in the English Premier League. Taking into account the old adage about there being an ascendingly misleading spectrum of lies, damned lies, and statistics, some of these numbers are especially telling.
For one, Liverpool’s Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez is the most fouled player in the Premier League this season, with 63 inflictions, according to this report. This number could be the manifestation of several simultaneous phenomena, including a backlash against his perceived racist comments toward United’s Patrice Evra, his rough style of play, his willingness to put his body in harm’s way to get a shot on goal, and his propensity to over-act.
There are, of course, many fouls that never get called, which should make one cautious if not incredulous (actually, I would also contend that this attitude should be the default) concerning this statistic and its many implications. However, what it perhaps indicates is that referees are somehow compensating for rough challenges directed at Suarez by awarding more free kicks. Or, as previously mentioned, it perhaps indicates that Suarez is simply good at getting refs to believe he has been fouled when in reality he hasn’t been.
Either way, it’s a statistic that raises (or should raise) eyebrows. Does the number attest to Suarez’s skill and/or courage, or does it instead attest to referee bias and/or calculated acting?
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