Liverpool’s Luis Suarez Suspended Eight Matches For Racially Abusing Patrice Evra

All, Race, Soccer Ty Duffy December 20th. 2011, 5:15pm

England’s FA has suspended Liverpool striker Luis Suarez for eight matches and fined him more than $60,000 for racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra. Evra claimed Suarez called him “negro” at least 10 times during a match on Oct. 15. He reported it to the referee after the match. The referee mentions it in his match report.

Liverpool has defend Suarez vociferously and released a whiney press release that reeks of owners Fenway Sports Group. (Imagine Dan Gilbert without the Comic Sans.) Observations that Suarez has black friends and is of mixed-race himself are cheap nonsense, (Does he eat at soul food establishments? Does he tip black waiters?) but the club does raise a couple legitimate issues.

Most validly, the incident was not caught on tape, and there has been no neutral-party corroboration this incident happened as described by Evra. More debatably, there may be a legitimate cultural disconnect at fault. Words, even if translated directly, can assume different contexts. In Western nations such as the United States, Britain and France, there is a strong sensitivity to racism. This is not a sign of our enlightenment, so much as our shared, turbulent and Imperial pasts. The goal is to stamp out veritable racism. It is conceivable Suarez could have been ignorant to the virulent context his words would have to a black French player in an English league. Probability is another question. Will one of his bosses, LeBron James, weigh in?

Suarez’ punishment, harsher than most countries receive from FIFA over racist incidents, sets a zero-tolerance tone. One wonders how this will affect the case of Chelsea and England captain John Terry who was caught on tape racially abusing Anton Ferdinand. The FA is waiting for a police inquiry to finish before meting out punishment.

Liverpool have two weeks to appeal the Suarez decision. They should do so, if only because they play four EPL matches those next two weeks. If the suspension is upheld afterward, only five of the eight would be in the Premier League and Suarez would miss the away trip to Manchester United on Feb. 11.

Suarez’ conversion rate is questionable, but his activity in the opponents’ penalty area creates an incredible number of scoring opportunities. The club rarely attacks incisively without him. He is the only Reds player with more than two league goals this season. Suarez extended absence could be trouble and cost Liverpool a chance to return to the Champions League. That’s about 60 million guaranteed reasons for John Henry and partners to feel aggrieved.

Previously: Luis Suarez Bit An Opponent On the Neck and The Announcers Called Him Mike Tyson
Previously: Luis Suarez Scored Two Sweet Goals Today.
Previously: World Cup 2010 Winners and Losers

[Photo via Getty]

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22 Responses to “Liverpool’s Luis Suarez Suspended Eight Matches For Racially Abusing Patrice Evra”

1
Cowboy Mike's Red Hot Ricochet Barbecue Sauce Says:
December 20th, 2011 at 5:18 PM
Shockingly I have to disagree. While the “I have black friends” defense is always going to come across poorly, it is relevant in the cultural disconnect part of their defense. As what he said is not, according to the defense (and the Uruguayan FA) not racist, discussing it is relevant.
I fully expect the club to file a counter claim against Evra for whatever it is he said to Suarez (seems to be something worse than the “don’t touch me you South American” mentioned prior).
They will take this to the CAS, and the FA’s bias will have no impact there. Nobody can convince me that a panel with a member who prides himself on saving SAF’s job is unbiased.
2
FredSanford Says:
December 20th, 2011 at 5:22 PM
We can’t say “negro” now? Stop being such a faggot.
/Louis CK’d
3
Cowboy Mike's Red Hot Ricochet Barbecue Sauce Says:
December 20th, 2011 at 5:22 PM
That is to say, if they were trying to prove that it was not racist behavior in Suarez’s eyes, using anything possible that would have a connection to his past behavior showing that he does not have racist tendancies (and make no mistake, the FA labeled him a racist today, and that could come back to bite them especially considering the fact that they spent four days discussing the legal impacts of this decision as the verdict was handed down Friday) would be relevant.
What sunk Suarez is that he admitted to saying it.
And that’s why Terry will get off. No way in hell does Terry even get charged.
4
geoffreyvs hired a PR firm to get his son's coach fired; now I'm running for Senate! Says:
December 20th, 2011 at 5:31 PM
Eight matches. Damn. Hope Terry gets twice that.
/Spurs fan’d
5
geoffreyvs hired a PR firm to get his son's coach fired; now I'm running for Senate! Says:
December 20th, 2011 at 5:32 PM
And that’s why Terry will get off. No way in hell does Terry even get charged.
Except it was caught on tape, yes? One thinks something will happen.
6
MP Says:
December 20th, 2011 at 5:33 PM
Cultural disconnect is irrelevant for me. If I walk down the streets of Qatar drinking a bottle of whiskey, can I claim cultural differences when they throw me in jail?
That said, 8 games is harsh. His honesty is going to cost him.
7
Cowboy Mike's Red Hot Ricochet Barbecue Sauce Says:
December 20th, 2011 at 5:36 PM
The video is not completely clear and Terry has stuck by his story, and Ferdinand has not said what his side is. If the police don’t press charges, the FA has excuse to drop it. If the police do press charges, the FA have an excuse to drop it as well because they can say it’s a police matter.
Terry is the England captain. They found their scapegoat to counter Blatter and he’s a foreigner, Terry will go free.
8
MP Says:
December 20th, 2011 at 5:39 PM
*harsh given the evidence.
Only he knows what his intent was. I don’t believe him for a second, but it’s his word against Evra’s.
9
Cowboy Mike's Red Hot Ricochet Barbecue Sauce Says:
December 20th, 2011 at 5:39 PM
That said, 8 games is harsh. His honesty is going to cost him.
Yep. I mean honestly had the FA decided to say “look, we can’t really prove it and there are issues here, but we think he should have known better so we’re banning him three games for improper conduct but not for the racism charge” and the club could have accepted it. Now they have to fight it and it’s going to be a messy legal battle.
Maybe if Evra hadn’t been criticized for the FA for exaggerating racist claims in the past and hadn’t yelled at the ref in the match for “only booking me because I’m black” I’d feel a bit bad for him. Probably not though, fuck him.
10
Cowboy Mike's Red Hot Ricochet Barbecue Sauce Says:
December 20th, 2011 at 5:41 PM
Only he knows what his intent was. I don’t believe him for a second, but it’s his word against Evra’s.
Which is exactly what I will be saying when Evra gets his eight match ban.
But anyways back to reality. Evra said in the report that he did not think Suarez was racist. This was a complete statement move by the FA outside of the facts of the case. I would be more pissed if I weren’t expecting it to happen. But then given the fact that they decided to charge Suarez for flipping off the fans when they didn’t do the same for Cole and Rooney, I don’t expect consistency from the FA.
11
MP Says:
December 20th, 2011 at 5:50 PM
Maybe if Evra hadn’t been criticized for the FA for exaggerating racist claims in the past
Another “he said-he said” though. I certainly wouldn’t put it past a Chelsea groundsman to make a racist comment.
And let’s not even get started on the non-racism issues. I’m still waiting for the explanation of Rooney’s ban for swearing given that players are caught swearing on camera in every single game.
12
MP Says:
December 20th, 2011 at 5:53 PM
I’m not clearing Evra of any wrongdoing here. Just saying that the FA and their subjective application of the rulebook are ridiculous.
13
Cowboy Mike's Red Hot Ricochet Barbecue Sauce Says:
December 20th, 2011 at 5:55 PM
Players aren’t caught swearing INTO the camera every game though. Drogba was suspended for the exact same thing by UEFA two years prior, and it was initially a much longer ban than what Rooney got.
Personally I’m waiting on an explanation for the FA saying Rooney never made a V gesture to Chelsea fans when the evidence clearly shows him doing it.
/unbiased
//honor bound
14
Cowboy Mike's Red Hot Ricochet Barbecue Sauce Says:
December 20th, 2011 at 5:56 PM
I’m not clearing Evra of any wrongdoing here. Just saying that the FA and their subjective application of the rulebook are ridiculous.
Switch his name with Suarez and I’m in the same boat.
This is a political banning by the FA, nothing more.
15
Huskerteers Says:
December 20th, 2011 at 6:33 PM
Terry said “blind”, not “black”.
/Chelsea fan
//best I can come up with
///still better than what Terry came up with
16
The Fan's Attic Says:
December 20th, 2011 at 6:36 PM
You don’t have to clear Evra of wrongdoing here because apparently he admitted to his own wrongdoing during the hearing. That admission should cost him the same as Suarez irrespective of who did or did not hear it.
17
TheBigLead Says:
December 20th, 2011 at 6:45 PM
Fan’s Attic checking in!
18
MP Says:
December 21st, 2011 at 10:04 AM
Players aren’t caught swearing INTO the camera every game though. Drogba was suspended for the exact same thing by UEFA two years prior, and it was initially a much longer ban than what Rooney got.
This is laughable. Drogba was suspended because he sprinted up to the referee and screamed/cursed directly in his face. Sure, he happened to yell into the camera on the way off the field, but that is not why he got banned.
19
Cowboy Mike's Red Hot Ricochet Barbecue Sauce Says:
December 21st, 2011 at 10:10 AM
Shit you’re right it was for yelling at Ovrebo wasn’t it. Granted, he deserved it.
Still, what’s laughable is you suggesting that Rooney gets punished unfairly by the FA. See: V sign. See: them going to bat for him with UEFA over a stone cold red card.
20
MP Says:
December 21st, 2011 at 10:22 AM
Well you can’t use the “going to bat” comment against United/Rooney after your defense of Liverpool’s statement yesterday. Sure, it was a stone cold red card, but it doesn’t mean he was trying to break the guy’s leg. Just like Suarez: stone cold racism, intended or not.
We’re gonna have to agree to disagree or we’ll be here all day and end up shooting pistols at dawn or something.
21
MP Says:
December 21st, 2011 at 10:24 AM
Oops, just realized you meant the FA and not United. Ignore my first paragraph. Second one still stands.
22
Cowboy Mike's Red Hot Ricochet Barbecue Sauce Says:
December 21st, 2011 at 10:32 AM
I just think the FA protects their own. Look at the four biggest cases of players making insulting gestures to fans. The two that were not English nationals, charged. The two who are guaranteed starters for the English NT, not charged.
I think it’s hilarious that Suarez’s fine is over ten times what Terry faces as the MAXIMUM penalty for his charge today. When he is convicted, the FA will say it has been handled already and will not rule on it. Because it falls to February, and with god knows how long the appeal process, it will either extend past the Euros so they don’t have to worry about it, or it will come before them beforehand and they’ll let him go. No way does the FA suspend their captain for the Euros. No way.