I’m sure like me you’re getting a little tired of the whole Luis Suarez/Patrice Evra affair. I’ve written numerous articles on the entire saga and when Liverpool first announced they were not going to appeal I was more than willing to finally close the book -or web page- on the sorry chapter and move on to some tasty transfer rumours or defending Darron Gibson/DDG/Dimitar Berbatov.
When I saw the statements that both LFC and Luis Suarez had released, I knew straight away that like Liverpool’s title challenge there was no way that was going to happen.
Rather than admit any guilt, offer any apology, or even simply state: “its closed, let’s move on” both the club and its favourite 1/4th black striker have continued their incredulous act of playing the victim. Neither Suarez nor Liverpool seem to grasp the fact that Evra deserves if not an apology then at least the respect of someone who has for the record been racially abused in a way HE found unacceptable.
Instead, what we’ve witnessed over the past few months and more pointedly the last couple of weeks, is an attempt by Liverpool football club to cast both itself and its banned striker, as victim. Victim of Evra’s lies, victim of a biased media, victim of a subjective FA report, victim of a massive conspiracy by all involved to somehow damage the club, for reasons no one has to been able to explain nor fathom.
Liverpool’s entire conduct during this whole affair has been a complete disgrace which has ranged from stubborn, ignorant, offensive, dismissive and downright untruthful.
Before I entered into some form of rant against a club that feels its been mistreated, I felt it was only fair to read the entire 115 page FA document. Now, despite what you may think, trawling through 115 pages of any report is not my exact idea of the best way to spend an evening. I can’t start criticising Liverpool’s conduct if I haven’t read the report they claim has done them a disservice.
I won’t bore you with the details of the entire report, nor will I try and bend parts of it or use them out of context, I’ll simply state this.
Anyone who reads that report, cannot deny that Suarez used the word “negro” during an argument with Evra. That’s fact is even admitted by the Uruguayan.
End of. It really is that simple. There’s no need to analyse the intricacies of language and nonclemanture, there’s no need to ask expert upon expert for their thoughts on whether it was used as insult or not. But guess what, the FA do that anyway and the “experts” tell you what anyone with half a brain knows, when you’re arguing, mentioning someone’s colour is not on. Simples. Yet Suarez defence is that he said it to Evra in a “conciliatory” fashion. It’s beyond belief that this is used as any form of defence. In fact to quote the FA’s report: its “incredible.”
What’s even more incredible, is the way Liverpool and Suarez, STILL play the victim, still argue that the FA were biased, still refuse to apologise, still insinuate that the FA’s 115 page report had important facts missing from it, without saying what these “important missing facts” are.
For those who may still be unsure whether “negro” is offensive or could have been offensive when Suarez used it.
The FA report: In Uruguay and other areas of Latin America, some people who self-identify as black object to the use of the word “negro” as a term of address, as they say it highlights skin colour when this should be irrelevant; they point out that the term “blanco” [white] israrely used in this fashion. Others, however, actively claim the term “negro” as a political identity, seeking to overturn its possible negative connotations.
The word “negro” can have pejorative connotations, as it may be associated with low class status, ugliness, vulgar behaviour, noisiness, violence, dishonesty, sexual promiscuity etc. In the River Plate region, for example, “los negros” is sometimes employed as a general term for the lower classes and especially for lower-class people whose behaviour is deemed vulgar and not “respectable”.
First, there are some black people in Uruguay and other areas of Latin America who object to the use of the word “negro” as a term of address, as they say it highlights skin colour when this should be irrelevant. This is the use of the word “negro” (ie as a term of address) which Mr Suarez contended before us is acceptable, yet his view appears to be contentious with some in Uruguay and Latin AmericaSecondly, use of the word “negro” can be seen as offensive or inoffensive in Uruguay and Latin America. It appears to depend, largely, on the context.
I’ve seen Liverpool fans argue that there are discrepancies in Evra’s story, that he changed the word he accused Suarez of saying and that there were differences between what Valencia and Chicharito were told by Evra.
This is true, but as anyone knows you ask 10 people what they were told by someone, and you’ll get 10 variations of the same thing, which is exactly what happened at Anfield. All the players agree that Evra claimed he’d been called “negro” by Suarez. They’re just not in total agreement as to the exact sentence.
Two people that were in total agreement are Dirk Kuyt and Damien Comolli, who both stated that Suarez told them he said to Evra “you are black.” This is a racially motivated offensive remark that would have been an open and shut case. Comolli even dictated it for referee Andre Marriner’s report so there were no discrepancies. But then almost miraculously when it appears that Suarez could be in serious trouble for saying that sentence, both Comolli and Kuyt claimed to have misheard him- on separate occasions in different languages!
The FA: The discrepancies between what Mr Dalglish and Mr Comolli reported to the referee on the one hand, and Mr Suarez’s evidence as to what he said on the other hand, have not been satisfactorily explained.
According to Mr Suarez, Mr Comolli misheard what Mr Suarez said in Spanish, and Mr Kuyt misheard what Mr Suarez said in Dutch.
Comolli also goes further and accuses referee Andre Marriner of lying when the official explains he got the Liverpool man to dictate and even spell exactly what Suarez has said to him. It would be a joke if it wasn’t so tragic. Kenny Daglish is also quoted as telling Marriner that Suarez told him he said to Evra “you are black.”
The FA report: “Dalglish said to me that Suarez had told him that he had said to Evra “you are black”, having been taunted by Evra with the comment “you are South American”.
Later on in the report:
Mr Suarez claimed that when he used the word “negro” in speaking to Mr Evra, he was doing so in a conciliatory and friendly way.
The FA note: In our judgment, Mr Suarez’s use of the term was not intended as an attempt at conciliation or to establish rapport; neither was it meant in a conciliatory and friendly way. It was not explained by any feeling on Mr Suarez’s part that a linguistic or cultural relationship had been established between them or that the context was one of informal social relations. The video footage, when viewed in detail and when looked at as a whole, shows that the players continued their animosity throughout this incident. Their hostility is shown in their actions and demeanour before, at the moment of, and after Mr Suarez’s admitted use of the word.
Then there’s the physical evidence, what can be seen via video footage. When Suarez was initially asked why he can be seen to inch Evra he stated it was to calm him down. During the hearing Suarez is asked FIVE times to explain whether he was telling the truth when he claimed pinching Evra was a way of diffusing the argument they were engaged in- this was what he earlier claimed- and FOUR successive answers avoid the question before admitting he was not.
Evra meanwhile, was calm and composed during his interview. If Liverpool were to appeal such a comprehensive report, they quite simply wouldn’t have a leg to stand on, this has been termed ‘appeal proof” by many legal experts who’ve examined it fully.
Evra won’t get an apology, just as Liverpool or Suarez won’t admit any guilt, the problem is anyone who can be bothered to read the FA’s report in full will see as clear as day that the Merseysiders defence of their striker is as misguided as an Andy Carroll shot.
If you have a spare hour or so read the full report HERE
Fucking moderator cunts…. Manc loving dogs removed my post…
Im a Liverpool fan. Not behind Suarez. Have read on many LFC forums recently, not many MU ones. Almost all MU fans(posting) think Suarez is racist etc and almost all LFC fans are sure Evra is lying, and they’ve known this throughout the proceedings. Somehow Liverpool fans are still supporting Suarez and not acknowledging even an error in judgement. It makes as much sense as religious tribalism. Are you one of the people who had their conclusion first and collected their facts and stories second? Facts in accordance with the conclusion already reached, which was actually dictated by which football team you support.? If so, kill yourself.
I an a massive utd fan and i think evra is a cunt
yea, it’s not getting thru the head of many, IF Evra as well as FA suggest Suarez is not racist so why many are referring to him as being a racist. by the way, suarez should hve taken the case to court to see if FA was fair towards in the procedures applied to come to such a conclusion.
Instead of making a long post about what’s right and wrong in this case, mancs should really just stfu about this case, as this writer- like many other more established journos, have overlooked big mistakes done by FA.
1. Evra had multiple chances of explaining himself for the FA, both with- and without so-called video-evidence from the episode. Suárez had ONE chance to explain himself, and this ONE chance, he didn’t get to do it along with the video that the FA had collected for Evra’s hearingS.
This fact obviously gives Evra a huge edge compared to Suárez, as he could give a much more detailed version than Suárez possibly ever could, without video-evidence.
Of course Suárez’ version is “full of inconsistencies” compared to Evra because of this. Do FA expect Suárez to have an eidetic memory?
This is just point number one, and already this fact makes FA look very, very silly to say the least.
2. The “language-experts” that the FA called in, obviously did not see the difference between the spanish spoken in certain parts of South America- more specifically Uruguay, as their report is FULL of grammatical errors, which a Uruguayan would see in an instant.
This is embarrasing for the FA.
3. Now, I wish to go back to what your headline says; “The real reson why Liverpool won’t appeal…”
Well, nobody- except for the Liverpool-representatives, knows why they won’t appeal, but ONE thing I AM sure of is that it’s not because this case is “appeal-proof”, as you say many “legal-expert” have labelled it.
I haven’t seen anyone of these “legal-experts” going out with such a statement, although this could be because I’m (normally) based in Germany, and therefore don’t have so easy access to this case, as English people do.
Nevertheless, it’s not so relevant.
The thing is, that this case- and report, for that matter, has far too many mistakes in them, to justify somebody calling it “appeal-proof”.
Liverpool had a good case if they wanted to appeal, but they didn’t. Why?
The way I see it, it could be many, many reasons as to why they didn’t appeal.
He (Suárez) could’ve risked losing far more imporant games, than what he’s going to miss now in January, like Chelsea and Arsenal at home, which will- more or less- decide if they’re going to CL next season, or not.
Another reason could be because the club simply didn’t wish for the case to exist any longer. And stop giving the media that (undeniably) have been against Liverpool in this case- even before a verdict fell (like Daily Mirrors’ “Racist” headline)- more fuel on the fire, which would, potentially, damage the club’s reputation.
My guess is a combination between those two. I do not think Liverpool really accepts the FA’s verdict, and nor should they. I think they quite simply have had enough of the FA and the negative treatment from the media, and therefore they “accepted” the verdict from the FA.
BTW: I DO have far more than just three points on this case, but I don’t wish to write ALL the obvious mistakes done by the FA BEFORE and DURING writing this report on a United-forum, where these facts will be discarded as a reflex.
Let’s get one thing straight – you have racists and you have ignorant people. The cure for ignorance is teaching.
Reading these comments only go to highlight that ignorance is still in copious supply. I didn’t read the entire article, but I agreed with it’s sentiments. I did read more than enought stupid support for Suarez and Kenny.
Once one goes down the road of racial slur, it’s over! No reason is justification. One can give reason for why, but not justification.
I’m a life long Liverpool fan and a black one at that. I was actually at the game and my bro (utd fan) and I we’re right there whe Evra’s back got up that first time. We knew – as black people that it was racial. And this is the problem – non-blacks will never experience the feeling in the pit of the stomach that accompanies racial abuse, so they will not be able to spot it as we did. Because of this, non-blacks will never appreciate the victim as they try to compare reverse racial abuse as if from a level playing field.
I always laugh when I here “If some one called me a white so and so, I wouldn’t go crying to whoever..” It’s like a man saying “if I was a lesbian, I would be the manly one!” How the hell would he know? What rule says there has to be amanly one? It’s a joke statement in every way!
Kenny has screwed up big time in his handling and has shown himself to be as ignorant as anyone else in failing to understand why there should be zero tolerance to this kind of behaviour. He and Liverpool have come out of this looking more racist than Suarez! Not that I think he’s a racist per se – just ignorant.
These are dark times for dark-skinned Liverpool fans – and poor Johnson. If he was more mature, he’s NEVER have work that T-shirt as it makes a mockery of the struggles of his family’s past generations.
I recently saw an episode of South Park and it was themed “white people just don’t ‘get’ racism”. It’s so true and will be for a long time to come.
I dont think Suarez is racist, he used a term which is unacceptable in the UK. He should have been aware of what is right and wrong in this country. Therefore he has to accept the ban and move on. LFC and Suarez wont say sorry because they dont think he did anything wrong. If i was part of the LFC board, I would be calling up PSG, Malaga, Real Madrid, Barca, Milan x 2 and seeing if they wanted to buy LS from us. If we were to get around £30mil that would represent good business.
Im not sure if any “black” players would want to join us at the mo so that rules out Darren Bent, Jermaine Defoe and Victor Moses.
Personally speaking as an ethnic minority, my first instinct when i heard what Suarez had actually said was to chuck him out of LFC.
“Let’s get one thing straight – you have racists and you have ignorant people. The cure for ignorance is teaching.”
Agreed.
“Reading these comments only go to highlight that ignorance is still in copious supply. I didn’t read the entire article, but I agreed with it’s sentiments. I did read more than enought stupid support for Suarez and Kenny.”
What comments do you see as “stupid support for Suárez and Kenny”?
“Once one goes down the road of racial slur, it’s over! No reason is justification. One can give reason for why, but not justification.”
Wrong.
What you obviously have looked past, is the vast cultural differences between England- or most of Europe for that matter- and Uruguay and the rest of the southern parts of South America (Argentina, Chile etc.).
In Uruguay, for instance, you won’t get strange looks for calling a man that is black for black , or “negro” as they say down there, but with- of course- a different pronounciation like englishmen. More like “nero”, with a “silent” “G”, although it varies from person to person how “loud/silent” the “G” is.
Navertheless, in England/Europe you have to wonder what you’re going to call someone who isn’t white, to be politically correct, and that is- to me- very unnecessary (in lack of any more suitable word).
In England, “black” seems to be the most accepted term, while in Norway (where I currently am), “coloured”- or “fargede”, as they say up here, is the most commonly used term- and most accepted term, as far as I have percieved.
And, if I remember correctly, Alan Hansen got himself in quite some trouble after using that term (“coloured”) on a television show in England.
This has to stop.
When a man who has lived in an english-speaking environment since the day he was born (55- or 56 years in his case), makes those kind of politically incorrect “mistakes”, how on earth should a soon-to-be 25 year old, who has lived in a much, much more open-minded society, in a spanish-speaking country- and with only a beginners course in english- know what is- and what isn’t politically correct..?
That is alone, completely absurd to have been so easily overlooked by the FA.
People- no matter what colour of the skin, must start to be more open-minded. End of.
“I’m a life long Liverpool fan and a black one at that.”
Convenient in this discussion (as I can’t possibly prove you to be otherwise), but OK.
“I was actually at the game and my bro (utd fan) and I we’re right there whe Evra’s back got up that first time.”
Not that I don’t believe you- I too were at that game, but this also seems very, very convenient. Can I ask you at what stand you were seated?
“We knew – as black people that it was racial.”
No offense, but this is laughable. With all that noise when that episode happened, there is no-way you could’ve heard anything, even if you were at the 1st row.
If you’re talking about reading signs of any of the two of them, it’s also not a good argument for your case, Dean.
You’re basically calling all white people ignorant, while black people- like you claim to be, can read the special (body-)language of racism, that white people can’t. I’m sorry, but I just don’t buy it.
“And this is the problem – non-blacks will never experience the feeling in the pit of the stomach that accompanies racial abuse, so they will not be able to spot it as we did.”
This is nonesense, and you know it.
You put black people on a pedestal, as a people who can see- and comprehend things other people- with different skin colour, can’t.
This is like saying jews can spot people who support(ed) Adolf Hitler- and his sick views, just by looking at them. This is very wrong, as I- as a jew, can’t do that..
“Kenny has screwed up big time in his handling and has shown himself to be as ignorant as anyone else in failing to understand why there should be zero tolerance to this kind of behaviour. He and Liverpool have come out of this looking more racist than Suarez! Not that I think he’s a racist per se – just ignorant.”
Absolutely ridiculous.
Kenny stands up for his player, which he with 100% certainty does not believe came with racial comments in a negative sense (of course), towards Evra.
“These are dark times for dark-skinned Liverpool fans – and poor Johnson. If he was more mature, he’s NEVER have work that T-shirt as it makes a mockery of the struggles of his family’s past generations.”
This is your opinion, and by all means- just keep believing what you do, but you seem to have a very ugly view on “non-blacks”. That is not good.
“I recently saw an episode of South Park and it was themed “white people just don’t ‘get’ racism”. It’s so true and will be for a long time to come.”
Using “South Park” to back up an argument, is probably the last thing what I would want to do to be taken seriously.
That show is anything but serious.
Did all of u knew tat Evra onself is a RACIST at
the 1st place ??????? haahahhaah
LONG LIVE ANFIELD :)))))))))
The FA is Racist @ Double standard the way their
investigation … Evra make the FA like a FOOL in dis whole tings …
Evra admitted to initially abusing Suarez – he gets credit for it. Suarez admits to using the term negro once – no credit given for that honesty.
Evra (though a Spanish and Portuguese speaker), apparently could confuse the term negro with nigger.
Evra first gave evidence to the FA whilst viewing a video of the footage. His evidence at the idependent trial was consistent with that previous evidence. Suarez was giving evidence for the first time, at no time was he able to view footage of the event.
Suarez claims he responded to being called sudamericano with negro. Of course, this was thrown out by the panel, but if true, I refuse to see how this can’t be construed as some degree of cultural misunderstanding.
Other than this instance, where evidential fact is proven, there were no other facts to back up Evra’s claims, despite a huge amount of video footage and the immediate presence of other players (notably De Gea, Evans and Kuyt).
I agree that Suaraez should’ve been punished for his use of the term. But this was heavy handed and mismanaged by the FA. And that’s who I blame for this sorry mess. Why didn’t we get the World Cup? Because everyone hates us because we think we are awesome. We (the FA, I mean) aren’t. Indeed, the FA are a bunch of morons, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this whole thing was a bit of Blatter-baiting.