LUIS SUAREZ WILL begin serving his eight-match ban against Manchester City tonight after Liverpool decided not to appeal the FA charge.
In two lengthy statements released this evening, the club and the player himself have come to the conclusion that they will not challenge the ban which he received after being found guilty of racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra.
The 24-year-old won’t now return to first team action until their fixture against Manchester United on February 11, in what will no doubt be a heated atmosphere at Old Trafford.
“It is our strongly held conviction that the Football Association and the panel it selected constructed a highly subjective case against Luis Suarez based on an accusation that was ultimately unsubstantiated,” the statement begins.
“The FA panel has damaged the reputation of one the Premier League’s best players, deciding he should be punished and banned for perhaps a quarter of a season,” it continues.
Suarez himself added: “I will carry out the suspension with the resignation of someone who hasn’t done anything wrong and who feels extremely upset by the events.”
all a bit daft from liverpool. At the end of the day Suarez admitted calling Evra negro and is therefore guilty of both charges. No point now saying he’s innocent after his admission. Both Suarez and Liverpool have let themselves down throughout this whole mess.
I saw this game and I remember at the time thinking Surez was trying to winde up Evra cause he’d clearly said or done something that irked him. The man used a word which another man found to be racially abusive, but a can of worms has been opened here. What’s to stop player now making all sorts of accusations against others in an attempt to have them suspended based solely on on mans word against another. Had Suarez denied saying anything offensive this would have been a very interesting case but when he said he used a word and perhasps nievely claimed it was not meant as offensive (when in the context of a heated exchange it clearly was meant this way) he set himself up to be called a liar. It will be interesting now to see if John Terry gets the same or perhaps longer because he has no excuse!
@james their is no doubt Suarez was being ignorant but not racist ,Terry was being racist but if the police fail to prosecute him for lack of evidence (which I suspect they will) the FA will be reluctant to ban him for fear of being sued ?
Don’t think so
@jeff.
The criminal case and the FA case against terry are two different things. He could be found innocent of the charges(or as you say charged dropped) and be found guilty of the FA case cause the burden of proofs for both are very different.
From what iv read the Suarez case would never have got to criminal court.
Read this
http://forums.liverpoolfc.tv/showpost.php?p=6859329&postcount=1148
@James,Chief,I was at that match and it looked the other way around.Evra was acting up in his usual arrogant self and kissing the badge to the crowd..although this wasnt highlighted this happened,It actually appeared that evra had no interest only stirring shit that afternoon.If you remember the game,evra and suarez had a tussle in the 2nd half,suarez barely touched him but yet evra held up the game for about 5 minutes taking the complete piss with an “injury”.On waiting for the ref to give him the ok to return to the field he started taunting the liverpool crowd…his behavoir has to be questioned as well in this instance
its a pity that the instigator has got off scot free…evra has admitted abusive comments to suarez about suarez sister…but of course thats all been lost in the liverpool bashing session…hope liverpool get a strong objective referee for old trafford game
if he is innocent why are Liverpool not appealing it ,
Sounds like BULLSHIT from Liverpool fc again
Read the clubs statement. Sometimes you have to cut your losses especially in relation to the laughing stock that is the FA.
I’ve no doubt that the Terry case will bear out my analysis of them.
I think Liverpool FC are defending the indefensible here, and I say so as a Liverpool supporter.
Suarez admitted using racist language. The FA banned him. Liverpool won’t miss him as he can’t score goals.
He can’t score goals ! now that is an accusation he’s not guilty of
Not really bizarre, Evra and the FA both state they don’t believe he was racist but used a term Evra found offensive WTF does that mean players will be getting bans for being nasty to each other?
I thought Suarez was a bit stupid but was having an ill thought out joke Evra had said to the ref he only booked him because he was black (despicable accusation ) when he asked Suarez why he kicked him Suarez replies probably because you’re black (stupid joke but witty)
So Suarez is stupid ,Evra is a race playing girls blouse and the FA need to stick to football were they have a miniscule amount of experience
I heard it all now
Actually Jeff, you’ve got it wrong. Suggesting it was an ill-advised joke is inaccurate. What happened was that, after Suarez kicked Evra, Evra asked why. Suarez’s response was “Por que tu es negro” (because you are black). The remaining comments he made are even worse. This has not been disputed so I have to wonder where your version of events are coming from.
As for Suarez, he got what he deserved for bringing the game into serious disrepute. He acted childishly throughout the entire incident (and subsequent investigation). Given his previous history, including biting a player when in Holland and his recent one match ban for a gesture at the crowd, he sounds like a bit of a tool. Good player, bad personality.
I think you’ll find Suarez kicked him after Evra called Luis’ sister the most vile name ever, begins with c ends in t….I’m not surprised he kicked him. (and also Evra admitted that to the FA)
@David Evra saying “fuc* off you South American cun* is hardly a nice reflection on someone accusing someone else of racism ,and calling the ref racist for having the gaul to book the saintly Evra should have earned him a 4 match ban, as if thats not bringing the game into disrepute what is?
Shirley in Gaeltacht areas Cait is considered a nice name.
Very good Fitzy :)
Evra admitted from the start what he had said. It was not racist and the FA, having used professional linguists, found that it translated colloquially as “You son of a b!tch”. Hardly worthy of the abuse which was returned. On top of that, Suarez lied throughout the investigation as to what he said. His evidence was deemed “incredible” in the truest form of the word. By the way, I don’t want to stand up for Evra here, he is no angel either
@Shirley, have you even read the report? If I was to call someone a “son of a b!tch” would you assume I was actually talking about their mother?! How can you continue to defend racism, seriously? No matter what was done to inflame the argument (not much) it does not give someone free reign to racially abuse.
How dare you accuse me of defending racism, just how dare you!
If Suarez felt for one minute that what he said was racist then why would he admit to calling Evra a name when no one else heard it, hence throwing himself right amongst the lions den, that just doesn’t make sense!
THAT is MY opinion, OK, kindly do not respond to me and keep your name calling to yourself.
Liverpool fans defending there little angel to the last. It’s pathetic.
Utd fans taking the moral high ground again. Defend this
http://p.twimg.com/AiRlR3KCAAA4fKA.png
There wasn’t much point really, not like the FA would back down and have Suarez threatened with a life long ban. Think the FA have opened a can of worms for themselves with this case though. We’ll wait and see.
whats the world coming to when you cant call a black man a negro any more, i mean thats what he is, and i dont mean that in any racist of offensive way. wikipedia explains as follows
The word “Negro” is used in the English-speaking world to refer to a person of black ancestry or appearance, whether of African descent or not. The word negro means ‘black’ in Spanish and Portuguese, from the Latin niger, ‘black’, probably from a Proto-Indo-European root *nekw-, ‘to be dark’, akin to *nokw- ‘night’.[1][2]
“Negro” superseded “colored” as the most polite terminology, at a time when “black” was more offensive.[3] This usage was accepted as normal, even by people classified as Negroes, until the later Civil Rights movement in the late 1960s. One well-known example is the identification by Martin Luther King, Jr. of his own race as ‘Negro’ in his famous 1963 speech I Have a Dream.
i cant see how this makes suarez out to be racist, but thats my own opinion, i think the FA got it wrong
Bizarre stance. Or maybe they’re just saving face?
Bring on terry’s case quick. Can’t wait to see what he gets. A real test for the FA to show real balls now. They’ll probably bottle it though. Usually let themselves down.
Its ridiculous. Read the report. They literally based the entire case around Evra’s testimony. Yes Suarez admitted he called Evra a negro (which is not racist), but the FA decide on the ban and fine because Evra said he used it in a way that was offensive. No other evidence or witnesses that were called were able to back up what Evra said. If he thought getting called negro was offensive, I can’t wait to see what he’ll do with what he’ll get called at Anfield next season.
You haven’t read the report yourself have you?
The most damning evidence was from Kuyt, Commoli and Dalglish. All 3 admitted what was said to the referee after the game in 3 different languages. Yet Suarez was misinterpreted all 3 times?
He should have held his hands up and admitted he was wrong. Then apologise and move on.
This shouldn’t have been about Liverpool but their senseless statements have tarnished the club. PR disaster.
If you look at the fixtures Liverpool FC have played this correctly for the player to be eligible to play key games. If they win or draw against Oldham this weekend he will only miss 4 league games as the carling cup semi is over 2 legs. That will leave him back for the home game against spurs and then the away game against Man u.
As much as I’d like to get rid of racism in football I’d also like to see players like Evra seeing sense. In most if not all competitions not only sports but just general life people are insulted but people get on with there life.
@Aleo
Get a grip Indefensible !! he was not found guilty of racism ! but using language deemed upsetting to a prissy race card playing french shit .He was stupid to say what he said and stupid to admit it ,as for you being a red does “you’ll never walk alone ” sound familiar ?
I sense the phrase “You’ll never walk alone” would mean a lot more to me than it does to you. As to your self-expression, I would suggest you “got a grip” on a little maturity and intelligence, if I felt confident that you could find either with both hands without doing yourself some lasting mischief.
You follow through on the LFC stance/ignorance with comments like that.
16 matches of bans now in 12 months for Suarez., makes him a real angel
The club would want to follow CFC stance with Terry, but their blindness can’t allow them that.
He will be back for the title run in away.
So than Aidan what about evras less than saintly past? Also I don’t remember united turning their back on cantona when he assaulted a fan, Ferdinand when he failed sorry forgot a drugs test, or when Peter schmichael was accused of racism!
@Niall – Whats Evras past??? Are you going to tell us all that he accussed the chelsea grounds man of been racist… check the facts before you do that though.
As for the other topics you mentioned, we are talking about Suarez who admitted to the charge didnt he?
Schmeichel case wasn’t taken any further by Ian Wright no was it?
As for Ferdinand or Cantona, whats that got to do with racism???
If you really want to go down the irrelevant topics to the case then thats dead on, we all can do that.
But its best to focus on the case with Suarez, who admitted the charge. Focus on LFC who met with the panel pre trial and commended the panel on their handling of the case post trial.
Its clutching at straws at this stage, outside of LFC and MUFC 95% of fans think LFC are in the wrong, says a lot really.
@aidan
You were the one who brought up past behaviour and yes Suarez does have history but you might want to have a look into evras own history.
First of all that 95% figure you got from where exactly?
Secondly the point I was trying to make regarding Ferdinand and cantona is regarding Suarez.1 it’s been claimed that Liverpool shouldn’t stand by him yet united stood by those players.
The schmichael case is laughable in how ironic it was that mr ferguson claimed that one man can’t be convicted solely on the word of another.
I’d also be interested to hear your views on whether evra should face a ban/punishment for referring to suarez own nationality and sister which he himself admitted to
@Niall – so your comparing what Cantona and Ferdinand MISSING a drugs test the same as borderline racism….. its get funnier all the time.
Again is saying “your sisters pussy” racist…… So if your called a “European” your going to be insulted……
Again LFC are laughable and those who came on here for the last weeks claiming he wouldn’t be banned are finding it hard to swallow the facts. The main fact that he is on an 8 match ban.
The ban is handed out so just accept it.
LFC have done thenselves no favors, they have no honor anymore and are just a bitter club.
Find any sports commentator or sports reporter who are supporting LFC and their stance…. you won’t find any.
@Aidan, you’re right there is no comparison between a physical assault and “borderline” racism. The Cantona case was much worse yet United stood behind their player. Liverpool are laughable for doing the same thing?
Where did you get the 95% figure from by the way?
Why is a racist remark “worse” than a remark about ones sister, mother, daughter etc?
I just can’t understand how people can defend him at this stage. And bringing up past and irrelevant events. He admitted to using the word which was definitely not intended to be used in a friendly manner. Therefore its not “one mans word against another’s”.
Definitely? You were there then?
Whereas evras words were used in such a friendly manner? It depends what the meaning and intent behind the words eg what jerk means in America means nothing here
I agree how can you defend evra’s racist words against Suarez and his sister and the referee ,you people should be ashamed :)
http://www.liverpool-kop.com/2011/12/exclusive-suarez-evra-hearing-potential.html
@aidan Never said evra was a racist asked do you believe that what he said merits some sort of punishment.
The way I read the situation is as follows, both players wind each other up on pitch which evra interprets to be racist.
Evra does the right thing in reporting the incident and giving a statement. Suarez explains his side of the story. Fa need to be seen to come down hard on racism so hand out 8 match ban.
The first line of the report evra states that he doesent believe Suarez is a racist, as do the fa board. I believe Suarez had to receive some sort of punishment but believe 8 games is excessive for someone who didn’t intentionally mean to be racist. I will accept this however if it is the norm from now on yet somehow I don’t believe that!
Now could you stop dodging my question and answer should evra face discipline for his statements on the pitch otherwise it’s hypocrisy!
@ Aidan oh forgot you yourself said it borderline racism
@aidan
Never said evra was a tax