Suarez's ban is absurd

I hate racism with a passion. As a Christian I believe God made all men equal, regardless of their skin colour. One of my best friends, who I have known since the age of 12, is Nepali. Racism is unquestionably a vile evil that has no place in any sector of society whatsoever. Period.

What is equally unconsciable for me, though, is injustice. Following the Football Association Commission’s decision to punitively and unfairly hand Luis Suarez an extraordinary eight-game ban and £40k fine, a sense of injustice prevails amongst Reds’ supporters. And, believe me, Liverpool fans do not use that term lightly.

Don’t get me wrong; the punishment would be entirely fair, just and reasonable if the accusations flung in Suarez’s direction were accurate. Racism should not be tolerated and anything less than a substantial ban would undermine the tremendous work of the ‘Kick it out’ campaign. The overwhelming weight of evidence, however, suggests quite the contrary or, at the very least, requires greater investigation and inquiry before a conclusion can be reached.

How the FA can assume to have reached a conclusion on the matter when it clearly remains an issue of one man’s word versus another man’s word is beyond me. Nobody- including officials and Evra’s Manchester United teammates- heard Suarez’s supposed racist remark, despite the alleged incident taking place inside a crowded penalty area.

Furthermore, Evra has a history of playing the proverbial ‘race card’. In December 2008 the Senegal-born French left back was handed a four-match ban for improper conduct following a confrontation with a member of Chelsea’s ground staff. The hearing concluded that Evra’s account of the events, primarily centring on an allegation of racial abuse, was “exaggerated and unreliable.”


They even discarded evidence from witnesses suggesting that the racial abuse had occurred; such was the patently fabricated nature of the 30-year old’s evidence. With that in mind, it is simply unbelievable that the FA have accepted Evra’s version of events over Suarez’s, especially with no witnesses to corroborate either view.

Moreover, the fact that Evra commented saying, “I don’t think that Luis Suarez is a racist”, surely lessens the likelihood that the accusations of him racially abusing an opponent are accurate. If even his alleged victim doesn’t deem him to be a racist then how can the FA prove beyond all reasonable doubt, or even on a balance of probabilities, that Suarez racially abused Evra, contravening FA Rule E3 (2)?

When you also consider the fact that Suarez has a mixed background (his grandfather was black) and is personally involved in a charity with the sole aim of encouraging people from different racial and cultural backgrounds to play football together, it is easy to understand why Liverpool are incredulous at the outcome of the Football Association Commission's deliberation.

The disbelief at the verdict is enhanced further when you contrast Suarez's case with the case of Chelsea captain John Terry. Not only is there clear video evidence to strongly suggest that Terry racially abused QPR's Anton Ferdinand during the Blues' visit to Loftus Road in October, said evidence is considered so weighty that even the Crown Prosecution Service are now involved in the matter, interviewing Terry recently and assessing the evidence for themselves after a complaint from a member of the public.


There is undeniably more evidence available for the FA to legitimately find John Terry guilty of racism than Luis Suarez. The fact that the latter has been all too hastily sentenced while the former continues to evade punishment is beyond my comprehension.

Liverpool have reserved the right to appeal the verdict and have a fortnight to do so. It is almost inevitable that they will appeal as their vehement defence of Suarez would appear bizarre otherwise and the impact such a lengthy ban would have on the Reds' campaign is too significant. It would radically alter Dalglish's plans in the January transfer window and, in all likelihood, lead to a change in the side's currently inviting and impressive style.

Ultimately, if there was more conclusive evidence (and not just subjective opinion) than the punishment dished out on Suarez by the FA would receive my wholehearted support, as this is an issue that overrides club loyalty and boils down to human deceny. However, aside from Evra's testimony, there is little evidence to support the allegations against Suarez and considerable evidence to suggest that the allegations are fabricated.

We will continue to support Luis Suarez through the wind and the rain.

YNWA