Luis Suarez banned for 8 matches. Massive ban and a dagger to the heart of Liverpool’s Champions League ambitions just as momentum was building nicely. We do not know the reasoning behind why he was given such a lengthy ban, but one thing is certain, with the Football Association’s (PFA) support of the Let’s Kick Racism Out of Football they have decided to make a stand.
Supporters will voice and are voicing opinions on the length and the ferocity of the band and that from the outside looking in it looks as if the decision was guilt by admission. There is the fact that the FA waited a further five days to make the decision which to Liverpool seems to suggest reasonable doubt, just as it would do in a court of law involving defamation or slander . On the flipside the FA could say in such an important case it was important to get to the truth and what they consider the right decision.
As much as I love watching Luis Suarez, his uttering of the word Negro, although said to be readily acceptable in South America, is abhorred in this country and while we can use that as an excuse it is should be stated that by the club that we do not condone it. One thing which should be said in Suarez favour is that he could have easily denied it and thus left it as his word against Evra’s which suggest in his defence that hadn’t he recognised the gravity of the situation. But as the say ignorance of the law is no defence and as I remarked to a friend yesterday many companies have Working with People courses to help workers recognise that individual differences are part of society and perhaps Suarez should be enrolled on one which would fit into Liverpool’s support of Kick It Out and long term policy against racism in the game.
We cannot walk away from this situation. But on the footballing side we must prepare for life without Suarez for a while and as we proved against Chelsea in the Carling Cup, we are capable of winning without Suarez at least in the short-term.
Well we've all heard! Not good at all...
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Luis Suarez – the jury is still out !!!
ReplyDeleteFirstly from a football standpoint we as a club should now realise that we need Suarez in the games against Spurs, Man Utd, Everton and Arsenal and should get him to sit out the imposed 8 games ban until the 2nd leg of the Carling Cup because as a top level side we should be more than capable of beating teams like Wigan, Blackburn, Stoke, Oldham in the FA Cup.
Delaying Suarez’s ban will have an adverse effect on the squad as they will realise that our main talisman is no longer in the team to turn to in times of trouble – I would also like to think players like Andy Carroll will finally step up and start repaying Kenny Dalglish’s faith in him.
From a personal point of view – it saddens me in this day that racism is still prominent in our beloved game but there are aspects of the FA that are still institutionally racist and those areas have never been resolved effectively.
As Kop-post states we will need to await the full report of the FA findings before judging Luis Suarez’s case but I would err on the side of caution before either slandering his name and calling him a racist or totally innocent.
Unlike John Terry’s case where it has been sent to trial by police because there was substantial video evidence I feel that Luis Suarez is a victim of circumstances – Sepp Blatter making his sweeping statement on racism a month or so ago didn’t help the cause as the FA needed to be seen to act firm to stamp out the problem.
Racism will always remain in football whilst we continue to have a weak leader FIFA president Sepp Blatter at the head of our world game.
dedlfc
Our double "decker" bus striker should wake up and start earning his money for real.
ReplyDeleteI think the FA is a load of people who failed to employ the facts of the case but choose to please Alex Ferguson. How can you fine someone whose Grandad is black guilty ofd racial abuse?
ReplyDeleteWell at least we have him for the festive period games. The Fulham one is still pending, good Lord!!!!!
I am still stunned here for all of you is the LFC statement in response to Suarez's 8 match FA ban:-
ReplyDeleteLiverpool Football Club is very surprised and disappointed with the decision of the Football Association Commission to find Luis Suarez guilty of the charges against him.
We look forward to the publication of the Commission's Judgment. We will study the detailed reasons of the Commission once they become available, but reserve our right to appeal or take any other course of action we feel appropriate with regards to this situation.
We find it extraordinary that Luis can be found guilty on the word of Patrice Evra alone when no-one else on the field of play - including Evra's own Manchester United teammates and all the match officials - heard the alleged conversation between the two players in a crowded Kop goalmouth while a corner kick was about to be taken.
The Club takes extremely seriously the fight against all forms of discrimination and has a long and successful track record in work relating to anti-racist activity and social inclusion. We remain committed to this ideal and equality for all, irrespective of a person's background.
LFC considers racism in any form to be unacceptable - without compromise. It is our strong held belief, having gone over the facts of the case, that Luis Suarez did not commit any racist act. It is also our opinion that the accusation by this particular player was not credible - certainly no more credible than his prior unfounded accusations.
It is key to note that Patrice Evra himself in his written statement in this case said 'I don't think that Luis Suarez is racist'. The FA in their opening remarks accepted that Luis Suarez was not racist.
Luis himself is of a mixed race family background as his grandfather was black. He has been personally involved since the 2010 World Cup in a charitable project which uses sport to encourage solidarity amongst people of different backgrounds with the central theme that the colour of a person's skin does not matter; they can all play together as a team.
He has played with black players and mixed with their families whilst with the Uruguay national side and was Captain at Ajax Amsterdam of a team with a proud multi-cultural profile, many of whom became good friends.
It seems incredible to us that a player of mixed heritage should be accused and found guilty in the way he has based on the evidence presented. We do not recognise the way in which Luis Suarez has been characterised.
It appears to us that the FA were determined to bring charges against Luis Suarez, even before interviewing him at the beginning of November. Nothing we have heard in the course of the hearing has changed our view that Luis Suarez is innocent of the charges brought against him and we will provide Luis with whatever support he now needs to clear his name.
We would also like to know when the FA intend to charge Patrice Evra with making abusive remarks to an opponent after he admitted himself in his evidence to insulting Luis Suarez in Spanish in the most objectionable of terms. Luis, to his credit, actually told the FA he had not heard the insult.
dedlfc
Too right Edet!
ReplyDeleteThis is a test for us now with LS on a eight match ban, we see how the team reacts and gels.
The F.A. are a bunch of TITS!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna smash this computer today!!
LOL!!!
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Yes - Andy Carroll needs to now show what he is made of - no excuses just go out there and play with passion and we really need him to start upping his goals level for the amount of money we paid for him.
ReplyDeleteIn speaking to some of the guys this morning I mentioned bringing in Darren Bent to do a job for us from January - he is a proven goalscorer in the PL - he will also be desperate to make it to the Euros for England in the summer - so will try everything he can to get goals for the team.
With my fav player Craig Bellamy struggling to play every game due to suspect knees and Carroll not producing the required levels of performance or goals - it would be great to bring in a proven goalscorer with something to aim for.
dedlfc
I'm totally shocked, think as LFC statement said that the FA were determined to find him guilty from the outset and the fact he admitted using the word negro is what has made them feel like they have to make an example of him to show how seriously they take racism. Think he's been very harshly treated as although you obviously have to live by the cultural norms of the society you live in, it seems they have not shown any lienency for the fact that negro in south many south american countries is not an offensive term.
ReplyDeleteFeel sorry for him actually as think it is obvious he isn't racist and it's pretty awful thing to be accused of. Difficult to know how LFC should respond becasue from a purely footballing point of view (and our chances of cl qualification) i'd say we should just accept and let him miss fa cup first round, carling cup and five winnable league games as opposed to potentially missing 8 or more league games including against spurs, united and arsenal. Having said that think if he wants to fight it the club should back him....
On footballing side of things I suppose you just have to think of it as we should be able to cope with his absence in any case as he's bound to get injured sometimes and perhaps it will provide andy carroll with a run of games to get into things. The team seems to be starting to gel and is looking solid so I think we should be able to cope without him....
Totally agree with Luke, lets just get it over with while we have winnable games coming up. Delaying it is pointless and a successful appeal would probably only get it nocked down to six games. I think that the club should support Luis to clear his name by all means but I think we should just take the ban on the chin and get it over and done with.
ReplyDeleteWhile accepting that the club should take the ban and move on. I feel the club should press serious the charge against Evra using his own words. He should tell FA exactly about the abuse he received in Spanish and the he received in Spanish and the meaning thereof.
ReplyDeleteIt's difficult to pass judgement on Suarez because the FA have no credibility whatsoever which is evident in their handling of the John Terry affair.
ReplyDeleteI think there are two seperate issues here - LFC and racism. On the latter, it is essential that he seeks to clear his name or apologise for anything that he has said that caused offence and if need be, undertake some cultural training to understand what is acceptable here.
I agree.
ReplyDeleteFor now Suarez has become a characterof racism and he needs to clear his name quickly with LFC and make it clear to apologise for anything which caused harm to people. Otherwise his name will be dirt.
And get some ground rules on the pitch, culture education for a start, nothing should be acceptable to cause a Riff, play your game and let the ref take care of things.
We are capable of playing with out him, so lets move on.
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Funny how John Terry get's charged the day after the Suarez FA charge!
ReplyDeleteGood. Regardless of the outcome., he will probably captain England at the Euros!!
ReplyDeleteI bet you his ban will be less than our man!
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Oh no he wont - and if he does I will not be supporting them at all!!!
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If that scum bag gets a softer penalty charge than Suarez I won't be following football ever again...
ReplyDeleteWell regardless of what they said, it should be the same then in the FA rule book! They can't just make up figures and base it on the status of the player and decide the outcome. FA Muppets!
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I was listening to Tim Vickery the Talk Sport and BBC South American Correspondent saying that in Uruguay there is a move to defend Suarez as the feel that Evra's has escaped censure as he comments were derogatory. The following from the Uruguayan Natioinal Sports Director gives you a flavour of the feeling:
ReplyDelete"This leaves us with a disagreeable feeling,” Uruguay’s National Sports Director Ernesto Irureta told the Montevideo newspaper Ultimas Noticias.
“A sanction like this is absurd, out of place and absolutely exaggerated. What’s more, there’s the story that the other sportsman (Evra) might have called Luis a ‘sudaca’,” he added, referring to an insulting Spanish term for South Americans.
“What’s happening in Europe is a product of their problems and not a product of what happens among players and one of them concerns racism. We have a country with differences but a long way from those circumstances that occur in the Old Continent.”
National team coach Oscar Tabarez’s assistant Celso Otero said, “It’s a shame he should have been sanctioned this way for something that should have remained on the pitch.”
Looking at this in another perspective foreign player can have trouble adapting to a new country, culture, ethics etc.
ReplyDeleteHe can only learn from other players who have been in the game for a while and the English players around him.
Getting coaching on how things are done on the pitch and what is approiate level of commutation on the pitch.
Adapting to Play football is not the same in every country.
It is difficult to comment on that particular incident (Suarez) but the FA had to make a stand and which case they have done.
There is allot of heat against big clubs when they face each other, but end of the day like it or not its Respecting the team and players, and I can imagine when your playing on the field its very hard to do this.
But this goes beyond players and teams, its culture, ethics, believes, religion, language background and these are the barriers players have to also respect.
You may do/say something wrong and you don't think you are doing anything wrong because your background and your culture and the way you live back in your country it is nothing wrong.
It’s the same when you go aboard, you have to adapt in the country culture and settings, and otherwise you can upset people.
Players also need to understand, they are not playing the game individually they playing for the club, so what actions they take on the pitch effect, club image, fans.
There are two clear situations here firstly, racism, then football. You must address the first before thinking about the second. In this country, you cannot go around calling people negro, or any other racial comment that causes offence because of the colour of their skin, gender, religion, etc. I am very proud of the equality legislation we have in this country, even if some people consider it "political correctness". We do lead the world in this regard - but in fact some of this is just about common respect and manners. I wonder if Suarez speaks to his grandfather using the same language. Don't get me wrong, I await the details of how the FA, whom I have no respect for, came up with this verdict.
ReplyDeleteI went to the Fulham v Man U game last night, and I felt hurt and embarrassed by the Utd fancs singing the Suarez song but changing the words to end "Suarez is racist". I know, innocent until proven guilty and all that but it if he called Evra a negro, he must face consequencies of some kind along at least the lines that you suggest - cultural training, community service, suspension from games, a fine. The most important "punishment" and way to change behaviour, is to commit their time and effort to work in the community to demonstrate commitment to the efforts that people have put into to making this country the diverse nation it is. While there the BBC might also want to invite Alan Hansen to join Suarez on some equality training - I find it totally unacceptable, whether intentiional or not, to describe black people as "coloured" when working for a public body. I am not calling Hansen racist by any means, but his comment is unacceptable, whether intended or not.
Following the death of Stephen Lawrence, Lord Mcpherson undertook to expolore whether public bodies are institutionally racist. It has subsequently led to some progress in equality legislation here although further practices and implementation still needs to be improved.
I have expressed my views on the first issue which is racism. On the second issue which is football, I think I might want to take the 14 days to reflect.
First of all I agree totally with Livi’s stance but what I would like to add is that the media has left out a major part of this case – with the term “sudaca” being stated to Suarez from Evra – “sudaca is a term that most of us wouldn’t be familiar with – but after some research I have now found out it is the one of the biggest forms of Spanish insults for a European to say to a South American.
ReplyDeleteIt is all good and well kicking out racism from football which I totally back but we should be also not forgetting the cosmopolitan nature of football and welcome any investigation into xenophobic views – which the media as a whole has closed their eyes to.
Evra should have to answer questions on his comments as well – the nature of which are of an equally tasteless nature.
I was also speaking to a colleague in the office – who reminded me of the Schmeichel vs Ian Wright case where the former Utd keeper said some vile racist comments to Wrighty but surprise surprise wasn’t charged – this situation has seemly been forgotten by the fans chanting Suarez’s name at Fulham earlier in the week.
Racism or Xenophobic actions no matter what team you play for or support needs to be dealt with the same.
Thanks for the information about the discussion on Talksport Vic !!!
On a personal note I would like to wish my LFC brothers a wonderful Xmas and a brilliant New Year !!!!
dedlfc
In the last post in the opening sententence I said it was a contentious decision to wear those t-shirts as given Liverpool's response up until then, like it or loathe the stance taken they had been very vocal in their belief of standing behind Luis Suarez.
ReplyDeleteI said in the blog on Suarez that you could argue he that hadn't realised the seriousness of the situation because Liverpool's media release seems to hint that Suarez chose to say he hadn't heard Evra's comments probably believing that his comments would be overlooked with a slap on the wrist.
I think Liverpool would have been better of saying that comments like that have no place in society let alone a football pitch and then used the other arguments as a supplementary. David I take your point regarding Evra's
comments and wont describe it as alleged because he has admitted saying it, but we as a club are coming across as if we believe that what Evra said akes Suarez comments understandable especially as Negro is seen as an affectionate term in South America. Evra's comments are dispical and one can only say that to total ingnore them smacks of incompetence and I really don't believe we've heard the last of this by a long way!
In attending home away games I have met individuals from Singapore, Germany, Nigeria, Norway, USA etc and the feeling of our diversity adds to the honour and warmth of being a Liverpool supporter and shows just how
much our support is growing and how diverse it is.
This is why as a club, it is vitally important for us to recognise how derogatory the word Negro is, not just within the black community and our society as a whole, because if we accept it it means we haven't moved on.
Diversity in our country is what sets it apart from so many others.
Yet another really good post Vic - I agree that there can be no equivocation regards racism but I think you hit the nail on the head with fact he admitted it two weeks after the event when it was blatantly clear there was no evidence against him - for me this is indicative of the fact that he genuinely did not grasp the cultural sensitivities. I accept the ignorance of the law not being an excuse and you need to live by the norms of the society in which you live arguments but equally I think there needs to be some consideration of intent and think the portayal by much of the media of suarez as a racist and of LFC as apologists for racism needs to be fought.
ReplyDeleteI think the FA have missed an opportunity to clarify matters and think they should of banned him for 4 games saying they have shown leniency in this case because of complexities of the case and the difficulty of proving intent and it being the first case of it's kind but stating that it is the responsibility of clubs to ensure that players know exactly what is acceptable so that in future there can be no grey areas.....
http://thekop.liverpoolfc.tv/_Uruguay-National-players39-defense-of-Luis-Surez/blog/5661898/173471.html
Am trying not to get into the Suarez debate, for some strange reason I think he did make the remarks, but am surprised at the amount of backlash he is getting from the press. If truth be told most of it feels like a need to be politically correct, to be seen to be on the side of what is acceptable. If we look deeper we will find that all those shouting the loudest are just feeling guilty because they have probably had the same thoughts in the privacy of their heads.
ReplyDeleteThe nail is certainly on the head here. LFC should along with other clubs, introduce a robust cultural and diversity training programme for all new players. This could actually form part of the appeal, even though he still uttered those words. Again it seems like the FA have shown their incompetence in handling this very sensitive issue. I remember reading that the charge is that he "abused Evra.
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