Liverpool’s Luis Suarez is Manchester United fan who just needs to apologise
HERE’S a thought for Liverpool’s Luis Suarez: why not just say sorry? Why not just sorry to Manchester United’s Patrice Evra for racially abusing him?
Back in November 2011, Luis Suarez told media
“Now we have to wait to see this issue decided and then the Manchester player and I will have to clear things up. Depending on who ends up in the wrong, one of us will have to apologise.”
But which one, Luis, who says:
“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. I do feel sorry for the fans and for my team mates whom I will not be able to help during the next month. It will be a very difficult time for me.”
Maybe something has been lost in the translation but Luis Suarez sounds like a man full of self-pity rather then one about to “clear things up”.
Does he not know that the FA saved his career? Had they not said, “This case is not about whether Mr Suarez is in fact a racist. Indeed, the commission will no doubt conclude that there are some indications that he is not”, he’d be dead in the water. If what he say what an error based in cultural nuance, then say sorry. The lack of contrition – the lack of understanding that calling a black man a negro seven times in the space of a few minutes might cause offence – is lamentable.
Suarez has not bene helped by the local press and Liverpool, who have behaved pathetically. Why was Suarez banned for eight matches? Says Kenny Dalglish, the Liverpool manager:
“Maybe wrong place, wrong time. It could have been anybody.”
The wrong place being, presumably, not Suarez’s native Uruguay where what the English call racial abuse is accepted. “Negro” is not racist, says Saurez. Dalglish agrees, offering after defeat to Manchester City:
Reporter: “Kenny, the wider world is pretty shocked that, if a player can call someone ‘negro’ and the player who is the victim in this takes offence, that there is no apology or contrition offered from your club.”
Dalglish: “I would have thought that, if you pronounced the word properly, you maybe understand it better. I think it was Spanish he was speaking and I don’t think you were speaking Spanish there.”
Reporter: “OK, if a player calls someone ‘negro’ [Spanish pronunciation], surely the player who takes offence deserves an apology?”
Dalglish: “Ask a linguistic expert, which certainly I am not. They will tell you that the part of the country in Uruguay where he [Luis Suárez] comes from, it is perfectly acceptable. His wife calls him that and I don’t think he is offended by her. We have made a statement and I think it is there for everybody to read. Luis has made a brilliant statement and we will stand by him.”
Reporter: “But the FA verdict said it was ‘simply incredible’ to suggest it wasn’t used in an offensive way when they were clearly arguing and it wasn’t friendly.”
Dalglish: “There’s a lot of things we’d like to say and a lot we could say but we would only get ourselves in trouble. We are not trying to be evasive … well, we are being evasive because we don’t like getting ourselves in trouble. But we know what has gone on. We know what is not in the report and that’s important for us. So without me getting ourselves in trouble, I think that’s it finished.”
Liverpool look bad. They allude to a conspiracy and then take the moral high ground. And of that desire to get Liverpool, was Damien Comolli, the Liverpool director of football, in on it, then? It was he who went to the referee’s room at Anfield after the incident and told the officials that the word “negro” had been used by Suárez in his spat with Evra.
And then there was Liverpool’s statement in which they sacrificed truth and justice for the bigger cause. How very noble:
“Continuing a fight for justice in this particular case beyond today would only obscure the fact that the club wholeheartedly supports the efforts of the Football Association, the Football League and the Premier League to put an end to any form of racism in English football. It is time to put the Luis Suárez matter to rest and for all of us, going forward, to work together to stamp out racism in every form both inside and outside the sport. It is for this reason that we will not appeal the eight-game suspension of Luis Suárez.”
The last words are with Tony Evans, the Times football editor who nails Suarez and his supporters:
In September, a mere handful of Liverpool fans would have even heard the term negrito. Now they are experts in the semantics of Hispanic slang, describing in detail how it is a term of affection. Well, if Suárez was being affectionate to a United player during a game, the club should crack down on him. An eight-game ban? Surely that should be a sackable offence?
Is Suarez a United fan? Now, that might really bury him at Liverpool…
Posted: 4th, January 2012 | In: Key Posts, Sports Comments (12) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink
January 5th, 2012 at 5:00 pm
That twat evra should learn how to count, first he said saurez said 10 times, then 7 times, then 5 times, when it was said only onced, he is a lieing wee —- , well what do we expect from a manure, you have a lot to learn patricia, saurez will come out this the better man, you have cryed wolf onced to often, saurez you will never walk alone.
January 4th, 2012 at 11:24 pm
Learn how to spell pal ! stop sucking up to Whiskey Nose and the FA.
Did you hear Newcastle fans sing Saurez’s song name time little Evra (Eve) touched the ball ? That is what is going to happen from NOW ON. So you as a manure fan & the rest of your pals can take walk alongside Ron Atkinson ( your ex-manager) who got the sack for being caught on tape for being a racist. NOW THAT WAS RACISM.
Read the comments posted on your shit article and learn.
January 4th, 2012 at 11:19 pm
The sham moralism of the British media on this issue has been shameful – and of course you just have to join in. It got its pound of flesh yesterday – a token foreign player scapegoated to appease a collective skewed sense of self-righteousness in our reductive and binary cultural purview. But in reading the statements you can tell Liverpool and Suarez wanted to fight but felt cornered by the media and a growing number of anti-racist groups that have not been looking at the events evenly. I’m sad that Liverpool capitulated such pressure but glad they made a firm rebuttal in both statements released.
The FA and national media (now including even the Guardian) have been over-keen to paint a black and white image but are guilty of applying reductionalist thinking in forcing their will. It is not a triumph for anti-racism but a triumph for a sham moralist witch-hunt – and the descrimination and defamation of a foreign player. And all by an FA that espoused apartheid and ignored the vulgar English brand of racism for years. I think Suarez will leave England the first chance he gets – as you can hear the powerlessness in his statement and sense the singularity in the way he has been treated. Sadly, the capitulation that you have vehemently called for will solve nothing – the player will still be branded as a racist on the terraces – and neither statement will be received in good grace by the pharisees in the media. A hollow victory for the Fergie-tainted association and their toadies – who have now enabled players to be targeted and convicted on hearsay from here on.
The FA and the English media are guilty of the very thing the claim to rail against. Quite simply, it is not a righteous position to condone the skewing of evidence based upon character preferences, Convicting upon probabilities, treating witnesses unequally, condemning one player in an instance where both are alleged to trade insults, defaming one person’s character, setting up a template for hearsay convictions, and completely ignoring the cultural and linguistic elements of a case between two foreign players. Also, where you to do a modicum of research on Luis Suarez you would that his character history and social work in this area is impeccable.
But of course you won’t because you belong to the club of self-righteous hypocrisy.
January 4th, 2012 at 11:18 pm
what a load of bollocks… why would you say sorry for something that your not, let alone cope a ban thats been based on probability… personally i think everyone has gone so soft and gay that a reference to anything is politically incorrect. i say screw that, your being paid anywhere between 50-100 thousand pounds a week, playing the game you love and your worried someone has call you a name… grow a set of balls… now im not being racist, but what is said and done on the pitch is left there and after the game you go out and buy a round of drinks… im just wondering if a black american calls another black american a nigga, why is that fine and not being racist? I cant wait for the next installment of john terry, if he gets let off with calling someone on black cnut, wont the shit really hit the fan…
January 4th, 2012 at 10:56 pm
what a stupid moron you clearly are. Read what you see in the papers, and base an article around that? the fact that liverpool supporters are behind suarez does not in any way indicate a racist fanbase, it indicates that liverpool fans may have taken some more time to look through the facts. THEY WERE SPEAKING SPANISH!! fair enough if he said it in an english conversation, and fair enough anyway he should take the ban on the chin, he has learned his lesson and will be back for the manure game!
January 4th, 2012 at 10:20 pm
Hi, I am black too and I do not think it is a racist term. What is wrong with people these days? or is it just Man Utd who think they can get what they want, and do get what they want, again! I wish people would forget about this now. Suarez isn’t racist but Evra is a prick…. and move on.
January 4th, 2012 at 10:05 pm
Some of my best friends are Black. They themselves call each other niggers it’s excepted. As long as you dont insult them or there families and treat them with respect then they are fine it’s when one becomes silly that trouble arises. Just as it would if you go looking for a fight. Suarez was not looking for a fight Suarez was reacting to continious fouls and after being insited by a twat!
January 4th, 2012 at 10:00 pm
No way is Suarez a Utd fan ..Not in your dreams. I think it’s Evra if any who should have been banned for insiting Suarez before he hit out. it’s a case of no smoke without a fire. With regards to the term Negrito does evra look in the mirror in the morning cause if he says he is white than he is colour blind! what if a black man calleda white man white would that be racist woooooow! scary sad really you are all sad. You make issues out of nothing and make hatred thats UTDs job they excel at that. They always get away with murder and have been ever since that c..t was at the helm. extra 5 mins to each game. Decisions that clearly where against always in favour. The FA STINK!!!
January 4th, 2012 at 9:29 pm
On the pitch and training ground Sautez calls Johnson negro in a good way same as he said to Evra, only man u dont have negros in their team nonono that is not allowed they have mexicans, guys fron eastern europe french no africans a scouse another from portugal but no negros funny that evra is a racist from his head down to his toes Saurez set up and the FA made him a scapegoat evra should take a big part of the blame that is if he is a man, be a white man evra stand up and yes i started it
January 4th, 2012 at 9:18 pm
This is why I think the Fa got it wrong. If they sat down with all parties explained what is exceptiable in England and what is not. Gave him a suspended ban on the condition he takes a course on inter cultureal relationships. Make a whole hearted apology and joins the Fa as a spokesman on anti racism. Everyone saves face and all parties move on together to stamp out the problem. Now it’s very divided and the focus is not on the issues. Minimum punishments could then be put it place and the Gray area removed.
January 4th, 2012 at 9:18 pm
This is why I think the Fa got it wrong. If they sat down with all parties explained what is exceptiable in England and what is not. Gave him a suspended ban on the condition he takes a course on inter cultureal relationships. Make a whole hearted apology and joins the Fa as a spokesman on anti racism. Everyone saves face and all parties move on together to stamp out the problem. Now it’s very divided and the focus is not on the issues. Minimum punishments could then be put it place and the Gray area removed.
January 4th, 2012 at 9:08 pm
Calling another player black is not racist. This is a fact.
Source?
I am black.