Liverpool have accused the Football Association of engineering a witch-hunt against striker Luis Suárez after the striker was suspended for eight games.
Flashpoint: Suarez and Evra clashed at Anfield in October Photo: GETTY IMAGES
By Chris Bascombe
Suárez was hit with the hefty ban and fined £40,000 for racially abusing Manchester United’s Patrice Evra in the Premier League fixture between the clubs on Oct 15.
The Independent Regulatory Commission acting on behalf of the FA ruled Suárez was guilty of misconduct and issued the severe penalties, pending an appeal.
However, there was an instant and enraged response from Anfield to the commission’s announcement.
A Liverpool club statement deemed the findings of the panel “extraordinary” and alleged “the FA were determined to bring charges against Luis Suarez, even before interviewing him at the beginning of November”.
The severity of the punishment has effectively led to open warfare between Liverpool, the FA and Manchester United, with the Merseyside club also suggesting Evra should be charged with racially abusing Suarez during their incendiary confrontation.
Evra claimed Suarez racially abused him “at least 10 times” in an interview conducted immediately after the game with French television station Canal Plus. Kenny Dalglish, the Liverpool manager, defended his player from the outset and personally attended the hearing in Manchester last week.
He argued that the word “negro” – which Suarez admitted using once – does not necessarily have racist connotations in the player’s homeland in Uruguay. Liverpool also claimed Evra had used racial language to insult their striker.
But an FA statement confirmed the commission found Suarez had contravened rule E3 (2) of their regulations and issued the severe penalties. The statement read: “An Independent Regulatory Commission has today found a charge of misconduct against Luis Suarez proven, and have issued a suspension for a period of eight matches as well as fining him £40,000, pending appeal.”
Liverpool are considering whether to appeal against the decision, which would keep Suarez out of football for over a month and have a serious impact on the club’s top four and trophy ambitions.
They have 14 days in which to lodge an appeal, which means the South American will be available for tonight’s Premier League game at Wigan, but there is a dilemma for the club as they consider their next course of action.
An appeal will force Suarez to miss both legs of the Carling Cup semi-final with Manchester City, the second leg of which is played on Jan 25.
Liverpool will believe protecting the tarnished reputation of their star striker is of more importance than the games he might miss by challenging the FA’s decision.
It is clear that Suarez retains the full support of everyone at Anfield, including the club’s owners, who are perplexed by the harshness of the punishment.
While Manchester United were making no comment on the findings, Liverpool issued a damning statement attacking the judgment and querying the validity of the commission’s conclusions.
They also suggested Evra should have faced race abuse charges of his own, suggesting there were further incidents in the fixture which the FA have refused to investigate.
“Liverpool Football Club is very surprised and disappointed with the decision of the Football Association Commission,” read the club statement.
“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 team-mates 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.”
Liverpool also accused the French defender of lacking credibility in his evidence, a public criticism which is sure to rile United and may prompt more recrimination.
“It is also our opinion that the accusation by this particular player was not credible – certainly no more credible than his prior unfounded accusations,” said the Liverpool statement.
“We do not recognise the way in which Luis Suarez has been characterised. 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.”
Dalglish released a statement on Twitter stating: “Very disappointed with today’s verdict. This is the time when Luis Suarez needs our support. Let’s not let him walk alone.”
Suarez, too, expressed his disappointment, saying: “Today is a very difficult and painful day for me and my family.”
A three-man panel, consisting of Paul Goulding QC; Brian Jones, chairman of the Sheffield and Hallamshire FA; and former Sunderland manager Denis Smith, knew they were dealing with one of the most inflammatory cases in English football history given the rivalry between the clubs involved.
It took five days of deliberating to decide Suarez’s fate, but a saga which began last October is likely to run on with Liverpool refusing to willingly accept the conclusions.