Liverpool's Luis Suarez was recently charged by the FA for his alleged comments towards Patrice Evra, and although John Terry and Suarez both stand accused of the same heinous 'crime', the incompetence and bias of the FA has seen the two situations handled very differently.
The result of the FA's mismanagement of the situation has been several glaring inconsistencies and contradictions that don't make much sense, and seem to point - IMO - to clear FA bias towards Terry.
There is very clear video evidence in the public domain that shows John Terry using racist language in the direction of Anton Ferdinand. Despite this, almost a month after the footage surfaced, Terry has still not been charged by the FA.
Conversely, there is absolutely NO EVIDENCE in the public domain to suggest that Luis Suarez is guilty of racially abusing Patrice Evra, but he has still been charged, seemingly on the basis of hearsay, and the sole word of Evra himself.
In what universe is unsubstantiated and uncorroborated allegation a higher standard of proof than glaringly unambiguous video footage?!
Suarez has admitted that he called Evra something that his own team-mates call him, but the actual word or words used have not been revealed yet, and that admission by itself does not constitute compelling evidence of anything.
If it was Suarez and not Terry who'd been caught on video abusing Evra, you can bet your bottom dollar that he would've been charged about 5 minutes after the footage aired.
Why has Terry thus far escaped an FA charge when it is blatantly obvious he has a credible case to answer?
What kind of kangaroo court are the FA running over at Soho Square?! Is not the fact that POLICE (!) deem Terry's comments to be serious enough to warrant an investigation, enough justification for the FA to charge Terry? Obviously not, but yesterday, an unnamed Police Source suggested that terry could be guilty:
"There is a feeling among some officers that John Terry has a case to answer..."
This throws up the very real possibility that Terry could be charged by the Police BEFORE he's charged by the FA (!), which would further underline the inglorious ineptitude of English football's governing body.
It should be remembered that the video evidence against Terry was available on the 23rd October, the same day the Ferdinand incident took place. The Police didn't announce their investigation until a week later, which was plenty of time for the FA to assess the footage and charge Terry.
Again, I repeat the obvious: How can Suarez be charged BEFORE Terry when the evidence against the Chelsea captain is 100% more persuasive and credible than the evidence against Suarez?
Additionally, If Suarez is guilty of racially abusing Evra (something that is implicit in the FA's charge), then why has he not been investigated by the Police?
Clearly, it's because of the available evidence: For Terry, the evidence is overwhelming; for Suarez, there is none, hence the lack of an investigation. However, the FA must have some kind of evidence against Suarez or they wouldn't have charged him in the first place...right?
And let's not forget the timing of the FA's Suarez announcement, which came literally one hour after herculean halfwit Sepp Blatter made his malignant comments about racism.
Coincidence? I think not. It seems to me that the FA sought to quickly capitalise on Blatter's 'soft on racism' stance and charged Suarez in a hollow bid to show the world that the FA is tough on racism, a notion that is as tagically ironic as it is inaccurate.
The whole thing stinks of political point-scoring, and Suarez is being lined up as the proverbial lamb to the slaughter. I'm not suggesting that the Uruguayan is wholly innocent - clearly, he has a case to answer, and if he is actually guilty then he should be disciplined.
However, a smoking gun is always more persuasive evidence than uncorroborated hearsay...unless you work for English football's governing body, that is.
Terry is clearly being shielded by the FA, and given the overwhelming evidence against him, it is he who should've thrown to the wolves and charged first, not Suarez.
The FA protects its own, even if it has to engage in a form of positive discrimination to do so.
Jaimie Kanwar
The result of the FA's mismanagement of the situation has been several glaring inconsistencies and contradictions that don't make much sense, and seem to point - IMO - to clear FA bias towards Terry.
There is very clear video evidence in the public domain that shows John Terry using racist language in the direction of Anton Ferdinand. Despite this, almost a month after the footage surfaced, Terry has still not been charged by the FA.
Conversely, there is absolutely NO EVIDENCE in the public domain to suggest that Luis Suarez is guilty of racially abusing Patrice Evra, but he has still been charged, seemingly on the basis of hearsay, and the sole word of Evra himself.
In what universe is unsubstantiated and uncorroborated allegation a higher standard of proof than glaringly unambiguous video footage?!
Suarez has admitted that he called Evra something that his own team-mates call him, but the actual word or words used have not been revealed yet, and that admission by itself does not constitute compelling evidence of anything.
If it was Suarez and not Terry who'd been caught on video abusing Evra, you can bet your bottom dollar that he would've been charged about 5 minutes after the footage aired.
Why has Terry thus far escaped an FA charge when it is blatantly obvious he has a credible case to answer?
What kind of kangaroo court are the FA running over at Soho Square?! Is not the fact that POLICE (!) deem Terry's comments to be serious enough to warrant an investigation, enough justification for the FA to charge Terry? Obviously not, but yesterday, an unnamed Police Source suggested that terry could be guilty:
"There is a feeling among some officers that John Terry has a case to answer..."
This throws up the very real possibility that Terry could be charged by the Police BEFORE he's charged by the FA (!), which would further underline the inglorious ineptitude of English football's governing body.
It should be remembered that the video evidence against Terry was available on the 23rd October, the same day the Ferdinand incident took place. The Police didn't announce their investigation until a week later, which was plenty of time for the FA to assess the footage and charge Terry.
Again, I repeat the obvious: How can Suarez be charged BEFORE Terry when the evidence against the Chelsea captain is 100% more persuasive and credible than the evidence against Suarez?
Additionally, If Suarez is guilty of racially abusing Evra (something that is implicit in the FA's charge), then why has he not been investigated by the Police?
Clearly, it's because of the available evidence: For Terry, the evidence is overwhelming; for Suarez, there is none, hence the lack of an investigation. However, the FA must have some kind of evidence against Suarez or they wouldn't have charged him in the first place...right?
And let's not forget the timing of the FA's Suarez announcement, which came literally one hour after herculean halfwit Sepp Blatter made his malignant comments about racism.
Coincidence? I think not. It seems to me that the FA sought to quickly capitalise on Blatter's 'soft on racism' stance and charged Suarez in a hollow bid to show the world that the FA is tough on racism, a notion that is as tagically ironic as it is inaccurate.
The whole thing stinks of political point-scoring, and Suarez is being lined up as the proverbial lamb to the slaughter. I'm not suggesting that the Uruguayan is wholly innocent - clearly, he has a case to answer, and if he is actually guilty then he should be disciplined.
However, a smoking gun is always more persuasive evidence than uncorroborated hearsay...unless you work for English football's governing body, that is.
Terry is clearly being shielded by the FA, and given the overwhelming evidence against him, it is he who should've thrown to the wolves and charged first, not Suarez.
The FA protects its own, even if it has to engage in a form of positive discrimination to do so.
Jaimie Kanwar
this is laughably bad
ReplyDeletefirstly the fa have been investigating the case and have done interviews and just cos you dont have evidence doesnt mean they dont.
secondly and more importantly and what makes this article a joke is that the fa have to hold back while the police investigate.
i am a united fan and would not wanted to see saurez charged as that is sending the message that any black or brown or yellow player can put his hand up and shout,so and so said a naughty word, then so and so gets done, but the blatant racism captured on film of terry the tosser will probaly be put to one side until said tosser retires from old age and then the FA (f>>>>ing ar>>holes) will ban him for 2 games.
ReplyDeleteWhat a load of rubbish
ReplyDeleteWe do not know what evidence has been presented for either case
We do not know what the FA will do in the Terry case
Suarez has admitted the charge but excused by saying other people use the same racist language. in what respect do 2 wrongs make a right?
Thats what king kenny has been rightfully complaining abt and raising his voice...it shouldnt always be liverpool which gets slaughtered before other proven offenders..I feel its high time fingers should be raised towards the fa who have done nothing to prove the critics wrong...this suarez incident is just another dubious example of unquestionable bias..really shameful
ReplyDeleteback evra hes done it twice before and got a small fine for lying people like u dont help racism be stamped out coz he said it happend it must of, even if it is the third time look at it from both sides or dont bother hes got a chip on his shoulder and uses racism as a game,that doesnt help stamp it out
ReplyDeleteThere is a very big difference between the two cases - With John Terry, the police received a complaint, which has escalated it to an alleged criminal offence. That's why the FA have to wait for the criminal investigation.
ReplyDeleteTo some extent, the FA probably wouldn't have wanted to do anything about the Evra-Suarez row; but in the circumstances (Ferdinand/Terry, Evra speaking out on TV, & Suarez himself making comments about it in Uruguay), what would have happened if they had not responded? The priority for the FA, under any circumstances is always to save face. They may also have reasoned "What have we got to lose if we did charge Suarez?"
But where they are most definitely on shaky ground, though, is just where is the evidence - it looks like there just isn't any.
Sorry, but you are wrong. I am black and "negrito" is not a racist term in any language. Suarez has NOT admitted any charge. You are completely wrong.
ReplyDeleteWe do know at least some of the evidence presented to the FA for the Terry case, as even Stevie Wonder can see Terry racially abusing Anton Ferdinand in that vide clip - which must have been presented to the police btw as the police source has admitted "There is a feeling among some officers that John Terry has a case to answer..."
as a fan of neither team (birmingham city) the two cases are very different .. terry came out immediately denying it after an internet smear campaign, anton hadnt heard anything he said whereas as soon as the final whistle sound evra and sir alex were in the refs office making a formal complaint .. context is everything in JTs case its clear on video that he shouts 'Oi Anton (ashley cole is walking past buts its quite obvious he's saying something) then the offensive comment' the police investigation is due to PC do gooders with nothing better or important in life and at least Terry hasnt come out demanding a public apology both he and anton want it put to bed
ReplyDeletehe never admitted anything infact he is saying the opposite
ReplyDeleteSuarez has admitted to calling Evra a "Negro" or "Negroid" which is a derogatory term in Spain and Uruguay, what he didn't know was that Evra speaks fluent Spanish.
ReplyDeleteOn the Terry incident, the FA blocked the Video clip you talk about, because it is slowed down, and that makes it look as though he his saying something he may not of.
I would say that in cases like this the FA have to be 99.9% sure they have a case to make the charge, or a reason not to, that is why both cases are taking so long to be heard.
If you are talking about video footage, then perhaps we should also look at the rest of the footage on Youtube involving Suarez, the kicking of opponents, pulling Rafaels hair etc.
There's an old saying, people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, and if Suarez is found guilty of this he should be banned from playing football, totally, not even for a Sunday league team, he has a stack of offences lined up, if the FA bother to look at the evidence, the only player ever to be banned for biting another player, and you Liverpool supporters think the sun shines out of his arse.
Graham Walters, you're so full of sh*te. Suarez has not admitted to anything of the sort. You're clearly an idiot.
ReplyDeleteThe phrase 'herculean halfwit' is an excellent one, but I wonder if it is not limited only to Sepp Blatter. The basic premise of your article is fundamentally flawed. You are suggesting that the FA has simply whitewashed JT and have filed away any complaint, comparing this with the speed with which Suarez has been charged. This is simply not true. the FA was in the middle of their investigation, but that had to be put on hold whilst a police investigation took place. It might be hard for you to grasp, but the police investigation has to happen first and only once that is cleared can the FA intervene.
ReplyDeleteOn the Suarez case, I understand that the precise word that he used was (and I quote) 'negrito'. Now I speak fluent Spanish, and I also know enough about Spanish people, so I can tell you that said word is NOT considered derogatory in Spain (although I cannot vouch for Uruguay) which puts the FA in a very difficult situation. Do they consider that it matters little the context in which Suarez said the words (i.e. he could well claim 'look, in my country that's an acceptable term) and that the word in itself is offensive? Or do they consider that the context of the word (who says it and why) should be taken into account? Suarez could argue that he used a word that is common and acceptable in his culture, he had no idea that it would be offensive. Or maybe he SHOULD HAVE KNOWN that (i.e. it was actually Liverpool who should have given him training in different sensitivities). All this to say that, despite considering the essence of your article to be rubbish, and also finding racism abhorrent, I actually have sympathy for Suarez as this is an extremely complex case.
suarez hasnt admitted he said anythink racist,he said he called him somethink his own team mates call him, its people who want racism to be a problem that decide he said somethink racist did suarez bell you and tell you what he said or you just like evra and making it up
ReplyDeleteThere is no doubt that the FA are, and have been for many years, totally inept ! The amount of time it has taken to produce charges against both these players is unacceptable. What I find even more unacceptable are the comments from those two 'paragons of virtue and decency', Rio 'the Pimp' Ferdinand and Stan ' Doggin' Collyhurst trying to tell us what is or is not acceptable. What hypocracy! I would suggest that Suarez might have sworn at Evra but the amount of swearing that goes on would now appear to be part of the game. If Evra has difficulty accepting that, them maybe he should consider playing for his convent team ! I suggest that some of these sensitive players watch a couple of games of rugby league. These blokes are real men, not pampered prime donna's. They knock seven bells out of each, swear and curse, but at the end of the match they all shake hands ! When was the last time you heard of a rugby player complain that an opponent had made a racist remark ?
ReplyDeleteHave you been paying attention!
ReplyDeleteThe FA were investigating it and by all accounts were on the verge of charging or not, as the case may be, when Police decided (after 10 days) that they would get involved. Because of that, the FA can't do a thing, not even talk about it. So cut them some slack.
Graham, your bias is clear for the world to see, there is no evidence against Suarez and yes if he is guilty he should be punished and im a liverpool supporter but Evra is no saint here, funny how most of the racist claims over the past couple seasons come from one man EVRA!! his is a child throwing his toys out the cot. and he called him negrito not negro big difference.
ReplyDeletePlus the FA doesnt need to be 99% sure to charge him they charged him to make a point after Blatters comments, Yes Suarez has done stupid things in this career so far but biting someone doesnt automatically made you a racist what a stupid comment for you to make that is probably the most narrow minded comment i have ever heard, just because someone did something completely different he must be guilty. yeah he also pulled Rafaels hair but didnt Rafael hack someone down two seconds before??? yes he did but no Rafael was just so innocent.
You are wrong in South America it can in an arguement be an insulting and racial slur. I live in Argentina.
ReplyDeleteSuarez has not admitted to saying 'negrito' - that is press speculation. He may have said but at this time, he has not publicly revealed the exact word he used.
ReplyDeleteSent from iPhone
evra has accused two people before so if suarez found innocent should evra be banned for life for lying and if u want to talk about divers u look at half the united team and if 1 of them doesnt get his free kicks he then makes things up
ReplyDelete'the spade'!!! of coure you're black. somewhere on here a white guy is calling himself 'the cracker' or 'the honkey'? i think not. allegedly the phrase used means 'little black fella', and believe me if it was said to me someone would be laid out. if i think someone is a c*** thats what i say, i dont need to call them a white one. get it? as for gus poyet, we do not have to confirm towhat the rest of the world does; he must have forgotten what last weekend was about, i.e. millions of people dying for freedom. as they say, when in rome.......... if he doesnt like it here, here knows where the airports are.
ReplyDeleteNobody can compare the outrageous comments caught on video regarding Terry, with Suarez. That was Overt racism but the Suarez case is based on nuances and linguistic parlance, completely different................anyone can see that is the case!!!!
ReplyDeleteYou are an idiot and lying................he has said nothing of the sort!!!
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that there is no account of what Evra said to Suarez, and from what I have seen on the TV it seems that Evra is doing all the verbial stuff.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Suarez should put in a counter claim of Racial abuse.
Understand your frustrations Jaimie but wouldn't jump to the same conclusions you have here
ReplyDeleteTerry case will unfold in it's own time, police probably instructed FA not to do anything while they assessed the public complaint they had received
The Suarez case, if he used a word that is acceptable where he grew up, such as Negrito, will not be proven and charges will be dropped with no fault applied to either party, but with a general warning to all clubs to educate all their players that any racial references can be construed as racist in Britain
If Suarez is found guilty, and Liverpool honestly disagree, this will go all the way to High Court, European Court of Justice and CAS. FA will not need to prove beyond reasonable doubt as in a court of law
I also don't believe that the FA would charge Suarez frivolously to point score against Blatter
piss off Walters what has it got to do with you ?
ReplyDeleteEither Evra is very unlucky with being abused on three separate occasions or he is a lying shitehawk with a race complex
ReplyDeleteKanwar .. its you who thinks Terry has a case to answer. That is because of your personal bias. Even I hate Terry but even after looking at video evidence at home I cannot sure as the comments could have been taken out of context. Bias is when 2 people convicted of the same crime get different punishments like the Rio and that City player. Till now Terry hasn't been charged and you or your chums cannot hold them guilty. Plus the timing thing you are trying to play on is just ridiculous. People like you give fans a bad name. You are more concerned about other players' charges rather than looking within your own. Suarez clearly said something to evra and whether he is found guilty or not the mud will stick. And it should. He has been in Europe long enough to know what is right and what is not. Plus look at so many ignorant fans claiming Evra always plays the race card despite it being cleared so many times in the media and other outlets that Suarez case is the only time he has personally instigated such a claim.
ReplyDeleteWhat happens on the pitch should stay on the pitch; if I was on a hundred grand a week you could call me what you like
ReplyDeleteTerry has not been charged by the FA because the Met police are investigating the complaint of raciscm and the FA can't until that investigation has finished. I am NOT defending Terry, I hope he gets sent down!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteKen, get your facts right, Evra has not made any allegations of racism in the past, except maybe a general comment about how some people in Senegal view him. In the other cases others made the complaint, he didn't.
ReplyDeleteBalzaz ... are your sure your names not really Blatter ????????????
ReplyDeleteNegroid is not even a word in spanish, nobody nowhere in a spanish speaking country has ever said that word. Negro on the other hand is black man and is not a derogatory term, im uruguayan and i call my black friends negro, so dont talk as if you knew something about our culture when you clearly dont.
ReplyDeleteIts hard to explain how te word negro works here to people with such a strong tradition of racism
Jaimie is the biggest cunt!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe some of the shit you right, if you did your research you'd find out answers to some of your questions. The reason Terry was being investigated by the police is because a member of the public made a complaint!
Every article you've written about Suarez's alleged racist comments has been utter drivel. You know nothing about the FA, the processes, or football. I can't believe you are actually followed by Liverpool.
There's been no article condemning KK about saying the FA should through the book at Evra if Suarez is found not guilty (i won't begin to start describe the fundamental flaw in this). Let alone the fact you're a club who for the best part of 20 years has been demanding an apology from The Sun, so you should know when an apology is due.
Complete and utter fucktard!