I would argue it another way; look at Malky McKay. When it's not a player, like in Malky's case, you are in a position where you lose your job and your career is effectively ruined. OK he's found employment twice since but you can't tell me a manager of his potential wasn't overlooked for bigger and better jobs after leaving City because of the stigma surrounding him. You can also argue that there isn't anyone in the game more educated and "rehabilitated" on why what he did was wrong, and as a result of both of these things, you can bet he's learnt a harsh yet enduring lesson from the whole thing. Yet with a player, he'll miss a few games (no more than he would if he had a minor injury) and then - just in Suarez's case - he'll come back and nobody will care because he's an important player; least of all probably the player himself. Suarez certainly doesn't strike me as the kind of guy who cares that he racially abused a peer, and I'd imagine Shelvey isn't either.

Of course, in any rational work environment being found guilty of making a racial slur would be grounds for immediate dismissal; despite that nobody expects Newcastle to sack their best player or for Liverpool to at the time. What that says about the culture of elite modern football, you can draw your own conclusion from...