Barcelona's Luis Suarez denies stamp, says he can no longer be provoked
Barcelona star Luis Suarez says he paid little attention to Valencia defender Aymen Abdennour's suggestion of a deliberate stamp at the weekend and insisted he is no longer vulnerable to provocation on the field.
Abdennour and Suarez clashed off the ball early in the second half of Saturday evening's 1-1 draw at Mestalla, with the Uruguay international appearing to push his studs into his opponent's boot, although intent was not clear.
Referee Jaime Latre took no action after speaking to both players, but Abdennour posted a picture of his injured foot on Instagram with a one-word message reading: "#Suarez."
#suarez
A photo posted by Aymen Abdennour (@aymenabdennour) on
Asked on Uruguayan radio show "Ultimo al Arco" what had happened, the former Liverpool forward said: "These are things that happen on the pitch.
"I stepped on him without meaning to. We met in the tunnel and I gave him my hand to shake."
On Abdennour's social media post, the 28-year-old said: "I took it as funny.
"If you were to show off every blow, every little thing that happens on the pitch ... I didn't give it much importance. I didn't see anything yesterday. I was enjoying time off with my family. I didn't get involved."
Since joining Barca, Suarez has so far managed to avoid a repeat of the on-field controversies that had previously marred his career.
Upon arrival at the Camp Nou in 2014, Suarez had been serving out a four-month ban from all football after biting Italy's Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup. He had been involved in similar biting incidents when playing for Ajax and Liverpool was also found guilty of racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra during his time in England.
He said that moving to the Camp Nou -- where he won La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League in his debut season -- had given him the peace of mind to avoid provocation from his opponents.
Discussing the burden he felt while playing for other sides, Suarez said: "It happened to me at Liverpool, where the defeats hurt me a lot, and at Ajax, where I wore the armband and felt responsible when we didn't win the title. Also with the national team. It's something that I criticise about myself.
"Now at Barcelona it is different. I am playing with the best in the world, who makes things very easy. That the team is going well calms me a lot. Now, if they want to provoke me, they will not be able to."
Suarez has now completed the nine-match international ban issued as part of the punishment for the Chiellini incident and said he is looking forward to returning to international action.
He added that football had a way of offering "compensation" for difficult things that happened to you, such as when he scored a brace in Uruguay's 2014 World Cup win over England and his goal-scoring role in June's Champions League final victory over a Juve team containing Chiellini and Evra.
"Football is a wheel, which turns a lot," he said. "Sometimes it goes against you and later you get your compensation. I got the chance to play against England, and score, and to take on Chiellini and Evra in the Champions League final."
