Tuesday 3 January 2012

Suarez and Liverpool FC shamed by robust FA report

I spent a significant amount of time reading through the FA's very detailed report on their decision to ban Luis Suarez for eight games.  I would wholeheartedly advise anyone else interesting in this case to do the same, and certainly I would advise anyone to read it before commenting on the case in any forum.

Firstly a lot of myths and falsehoods have been perpetuated by certain people with vested interests in this case, some of these people being at Liverpool Football Club.  I have no significant vested interests in this case, I would say I am more of a Liverpool fan than a Manchester United fan, I am also no Patrice Evra fan.

The full report makes it extremely clear that this not most definitely not just one man's word against another.  This is a robust decision that has been made by a panel chaired by an extremely knowledgeable and experienced QC, it is a decision made based on many pieces of evidence that include the opinion of language experts, interviews with several other players and club officials, and the video evidence.  A particular key is the inconsistency and lack of reliability in Luis Suarez' accounts of events:

"Mr Suarez's evidence was unreliable in relation to matters of critical importance. It was, in part, inconsistent with the contemporaneous evidence, especially the video footage. For example, Mr Suarez said that he pinched Mr Evra's skin in an attempt to defuse the situation. He also said that his use of the word "negro" to address Mr Evra was conciliatory and friendly. We rejected that evidence. To describe his own behaviour in that way was unsustainable and simply incredible given that the players were engaged in an acrimonious argument. That this was put forward by Mr Suarez was surprising and seriously undermined the reliability of his evidence on other matters. There were also inconsistencies between his accounts given at different times as to what happened"

In my humble opinion it appears that Suarez should have immediately owned up to what he said, apologised and take his punishment like a man.  Unfortunately for Suarez and Liverpool, what has gone on since has shamed both the player and the club, the recent t-shirt stunt was particularly foolish.  When one reads the true extend of what Suarez is highly likely to have said to Evra, it is far worse than has been reported in a lot of the mainstream media and far more than just calling him 'black' once in a derogatory manner.

Not only is Suarez' version of events inconsistent, unreliable and basically dishonest in the context of the other evidence, his line of defence that he was trying to 'defuse' the situation and that his racist language was 'conciliatory' is weak to say the least.  The FA have hit the nail on the head with their robust report and 8 match ban, it is just a great shame that some people have decided to ignore the facts as part of their deluded mission that aims to make something appear a conspiracy, when it clearly is not.  Even Liverpool FC have now decided not to appeal the ban, it is clear that they know they have no case.

Unfortunately Liverpool have now released this pathetic statement which they are behaving like a stubborn spoilt child who, even when it is clear that they are firmly in the wrong, they still have to keep saying they are right, while pushing their fingers firmly down their ears.  The pitiful Suarez has done the same, he is terribly upset apparently.  No amount of moaning or angry statements that attempt to spin the reality of the situation will change the facts of the case, the facts which mean that Liverpool FC know they have no chance of winning an appeal.  It would still be better for Liverpool FC and Suarez to apologise, unfortunately they have shown a complete lack of class again.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

i'm an arsenal fan and i actually don't like suarez. but when did it become racist to call someone black? negro is spanish for black. plus evra started the whole thing.
I would say the ban was justified if he used the "N" word that most find derogatory.
but now you're telling me its the same for the word black.
i would suggest for overweight people being called a fat bastard is far more hurtful.
i am certainly not going to be offended by someone calling me white. because i am.
people are too sensitive these days.

Ian said...

Anonymous

Suarez also said to Evra that he kicked him because he is black. Are you saying that's not racist too because he didn't use the n word?

1979gooner said...

anon 1917

I suspect you are the first of many to comment who clearly haven't actually read the details of what is in the report

I suggest you read the report, otherwise your ignorant comments just make you look silly I'm afraid

Anonymous said...

so its an 8 game ban for saying he kicked him cos he's black, but its a 3 game ban for physical assault on the pitch. headbutt a guy- 3 games. hurt a guys feelings - 8 games. what a strange world we live in.
maybe shawcross snapped ramsey's leg cos he was welsh!
shawcross got 3 games for nearly ending a young lads career. but its 8 games for a comment made in the heat of the moment that i don't think used any derogatory terms. so if someone says i kicked you cos you're a jew, or cos you're white or cos you're fat will that be 8 games too?

Quirkus said...

what ever happened to 'sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt you'. Im sick to death of the bullshit double standards in all walks of life. no one is either white OR black.we are all shades of ONE flippin colour. Man cannot decide to whom he is born. everyone involved in this case needs a steel toe-cap boot up the arse. And i mean EVERYONE. Football is dying worldwide.too much diving etc etc

1979gooner said...

anon 1929

you have a point about violence not being tackled by the authorities with harsh enough bans

however racism is a very serious issue and should also be punished harshly, i don't but your argument

violence being bad doesn't make racism more acceptable because no bones are broken

Anonymous said...

I am sick of hearing white people try to defend Suarez’s words to Evra. White people just don’t want to understand the racism black people in the UK, France and the rest of Europe have had to put up with. And to pretend that calling someone a black so-and-so is the same as calling them a fat so-and-so is just laughable. Why would you feel the need to bring someone’s skin colour into an argument if it’s not to try and remind them that you as a white person is superior to them? Some people have even said that it is okay because that’s how Suarez and his fellow countrymen address black people in South America, well they throw bananas at black players in Russia and Eastern Europe, is that okay too.

Anonymous said...

anon 19:17: "You are a white cunt [and your whiteness means that I am less likely to loan you a mortgage, accept your child's admission to private school, think my daughter is doing me proud by marrying you; although I do admire your dancing and pace down the wings, but your decision making is pretty piss poor.]"

Does that sound a little more racist? Because all those sentiments and more have been bound up with calling someone "negro" in Latin America for centuries. Not every time, of course. It can also be a (often counter-hegemonic) term of endearment, or racial pride, etc. But this was the exact job of the QC to determine. Try to keep up anon 19:17. Racism 101 isn't that tricky. You just have to have the courage to find out how racism works.

Anon 19:19. Slightly more complicated, but only slightly. When a player can be proven to purposefully injure another player then he can be arrested and tried in the courts. So your facile attempt at comparing apples and oranges to lessen the severity of race hatred falls flat.

Now that I am feeling preachy -- a verbal assault that takes in a whole "race" of people can, if allowed to continue, carry much more latent violence than an assault on an individual which is often over and done with or contained within the two individuals involved. There was that whole Holocaust thing not too long ago, and plenty of genocide in the meantime, to back this up. It's partly why we have these laws in the first place.

Anonymous said...

Good article, and well done for taking the factual line that you have.

In my opinion, Suarez doesn't think that he did anything wrong because he is in complete denial about, and doesn't appear to understand, what it means to racially oppress another person based on their ethnicity.

Suarez - like his fellow countryman and apologist Gus Poyet - may have been brought up in a culture and country where it's perfectable acceptable to express and demonstrate racism on an everyday basis.

But that doesn't justify such behaviour in the UK, where black people and other peoples of good will have fought over many many years for the right to be treated free from bigotry, discrimination, harassment and so on.

Although progress has been made here, that fight is still being fought to this very day, so no one should get complacent about the situation in the UK.

Anonymous said...

still don't get it, both players called each other names. both players agree Evra started it, yet only one gets a ban? plus how come this as been resolved yet John Terrys incident which happened before hasn't been.
personally I'd ban Suarez till after they play Arsenal, Evra till the cows came home and Terry for as long as possible. but then I'm biased.

Anonymous said...

Liverpool's statement following their acceptance of the ban on Suarez is shameful.

Not content with handling the initial situation very badly,
they now clearly want to have it both ways, claiming they are committed to eradicating racism, just as long as they don't have to take action against one of their own employees.

Liverpool as a club, and Daglish in particular, have gone down several levels in my eyes over this case.

I suggest that all employees at the employer and club known as Liverpool FC go on some anti-racist training urgently.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Ant1_D said...

FFS people get a grip, it is racism and if you do not understand this you are either yourself a "little bit" racist or you do not really get what racism is and should go and learn before you accidentally offend someone (if you haven't do so already).

Anonymous said...

by Suarez own defence, Liverpools attitude and the logic of the people defending him I can call Suarez a "cheating, diving, handballing, dago, cunt" and it should be fine as I mean it as a term of endearment as thats what we do where I'm from!! I will give him and pinch and kick as well just to make sure he knows I'm being all pally!!!!

Unknown said...

Very good article. Suarez has disgraced himself and proved that being a good footballer and a well paid one at that does not make u a good human being.

Shame upon Liverpool for ''sticking with their player'' over such events. Any normal ''parent'' waits to hear why their child was punished at school before they go making a scene at school because in the event that ur child is indeed guilty, ala suarez, you (Liverpool) & ur child (suarez) are left seriously embarassed. Liverpool is very embarassed but they have no class to come out and make a public apology. I wonder what Suarez thinks and says of Glen Johnson, his teammate, behind his back...?

I am no fan of United or Evra, but really no player should have to be racially abused on the pitch.

I hope this is just the start for Suarez and his type. They should have banned him for the remainder of the season. Football would be better without his kind.

Anonymous said...

Let's put this matter simple. Imagine Park Ji Sung called Johnson with the 'N' word, and Ji Sung said in Korea there are so rare Korean with dark skin. We use 'N' word to mention them. Would you think Ji Sung will get 8 matches ban from FA?