Suarez and friends

STAR EVENT: Man U v Aston Villa
Old Trafford
TIME: 8pm
TV: SKY

It’s almost gone unnoticed but Man U could win the Premier League title tonight.

The Reds have hardly been at their best this season but there’ve been too many clangers from those chasing that they’ve been handed it on a plate.

Victory tonight against relegation threatened Aston Villa will seal another title and it’s a far cry from last season’s thrilling finale when City won the title thanks to an injury time goal.

Suarez made the headlines for all the wrong reasons yesterday and today and tomorrow no doubt and his fine this morning and post-match apologies will come far too late for aggrieved punters of Chelsea who saw their bet blown to pieces with an injury time winner from a man who shouldn’t have been on the pitch.

For us at Star Sports there is a far bigger issue at stake here than the crazy antics of Suarez, and on that matter it’s surely inevitable that Suarez will face retrospective action from the FA with a ban looming?

But we do wonder. The PFA have been far more accommodating, they have offered Luis Suarez anger management counselling after biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic. You seriously couldn’t make it up. Counselling to teach a grown up man you can’t bite an opponent during a football match.

The bigger issue at stake here is our friend, Mr Friend or Keith Friend to his friend(s) the match referee yesterday.

Not only did he, the two assistants and the 4th official miss ‘bitegate’, they also contrived between them to allow an outrageous amount of injury time to be played. Where the six minutes came from we’ll never understand and Suarez’s goal was scored with 96 minutes and 34 seconds on the clock.

The sooner technology is brought into high level games the better. It works in other sports because it is transparent for all. Players and the crowd go along with Hawk Eye in tennis yet in football we have matches where extra time seemingly is added at whim and officials miss key moments.

Why not have a countdown clock, NFL style, which gets paused when there is a delay (time wasting, substitution extra) and EVERYONE can see it including the referee.

And if he misses it then blow a bloody big hooter when the match is finished.

There’s too much at stake for punters, bookmakers, supporters of football not to bring about these changes.

Oh, yes there’s a match tonight. We’d almost forgotten.

Plenty of goals look nailed on. It’ll be party time at Old Trafford but we don’t want clowns or friends spoiling the night. Thank you.

STAR FORECAST
(stake between 0.5 and 10 points)
10 points win OVER 2.5 GOALS

(-5 points Sunday)

Agree OR disagree? Call Star Sports on 08000 521 321 to place your bet.