Liverpool's Luis Suarez has released the following statement tonight:
"First of all I would like to thank everyone so much for all the help and support I have received during these last few weeks.
"Thank you to my family, my friends and everybody at LFC (the staff, manager and coaching staff, the directors, my team mates and everyone who is working on a daily basis for this great club) and thank you especially to all the fans who made sure I never felt let down for one second. During those days I understood more than ever what 'You'll Never Walk Alone' means.
"Like many of you I was born into a very humble family, in a working class neighbourhood, in a small country. But I was born and raised learning what respect, manners and sacrifice mean.
"Thanks to my family, from my first club where I started playing, to my transfer to Holland in Europe, I learned the values which made me the person I am now. Never, I repeat, never, have I had any racial problem with a team mate or individual who was of a different race or colour to mine. Never.
"I am very upset by all the things which have been said during the last few weeks about me, all of them being very far from the truth. But above all, I'm very upset at feeling so powerless whilst being accused of something which I did not, nor would not, ever do.
"In my country, 'negro' is a word we use commonly, a word which doesn't show any lack of respect and is even less so a form of racist abuse. Based on this, everything which has been said so far is totally false.
"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.
"The only thing I wish for at the moment is being able to run out again at Anfield and to do what I like most which is playing football.
Thank you very much.
YNWA"
Jaimie Kanwar
"First of all I would like to thank everyone so much for all the help and support I have received during these last few weeks.
"Thank you to my family, my friends and everybody at LFC (the staff, manager and coaching staff, the directors, my team mates and everyone who is working on a daily basis for this great club) and thank you especially to all the fans who made sure I never felt let down for one second. During those days I understood more than ever what 'You'll Never Walk Alone' means.
"Like many of you I was born into a very humble family, in a working class neighbourhood, in a small country. But I was born and raised learning what respect, manners and sacrifice mean.
"Thanks to my family, from my first club where I started playing, to my transfer to Holland in Europe, I learned the values which made me the person I am now. Never, I repeat, never, have I had any racial problem with a team mate or individual who was of a different race or colour to mine. Never.
"I am very upset by all the things which have been said during the last few weeks about me, all of them being very far from the truth. But above all, I'm very upset at feeling so powerless whilst being accused of something which I did not, nor would not, ever do.
"In my country, 'negro' is a word we use commonly, a word which doesn't show any lack of respect and is even less so a form of racist abuse. Based on this, everything which has been said so far is totally false.
"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.
"The only thing I wish for at the moment is being able to run out again at Anfield and to do what I like most which is playing football.
Thank you very much.
YNWA"
Jaimie Kanwar
ridiculous comments from somoen who cannot admit the truth....liverpool are not appealing....that says it all....if there were credible reasons and evidence to appeal then why not??
ReplyDeleteSHAMEFUL episode in clubs history made worse by lies from manager and player
Don't believe him but at least the club will now move past this embarrassing episode in its history.
ReplyDeleteclass player but his actions have damaged the club.
ReplyDeletecertainly not 'the liverpool way' that kenny likes to harp on about.
Giving someone such a harsh sentence based on probabilities rather than beyond any reasonable doubt brings disrepute to Justice. It's a sad day and it sets a deplorable precedent.
ReplyDeleteYNWA
he isn't appealing because if he does and it doesn't get overturned then he will be out of action for even longer, and it's unlikely the FA will overturn something they took a long time to decide on
ReplyDeleteWhat an absolutely shocking statement. Still spouting the "negro isn't bad in my country" defense. No apology, and instead, continues to claim his innocence in all of this, just unreal.
ReplyDeleteLiverpool proved that Saurez never used the word N****r like Evra said to the cameras and Fergie.
ReplyDeleteThe original complaint by Evra was that he was called a N****r which has proved to be false even by the FA.
ReplyDeleteDo agree Troublemaker7 that the N word was never used by Suarez?
thats because he is innocent as he stated negro is common word and not a racist word in his country so hes not going to say sorry for something that he has been brought up round all his life.
ReplyDeleteHis return will be February 11th in Old Trafford...... Feisty!!!
ReplyDeleteso he has no evidence to clear himself....for example video that shows he didn;t call evra BLACKIE....is that what you mean
ReplyDeleteit's incredible....independent lip reading language experts have seen video of suarez calling evra BLACKIE.... is that acceptable? Of course not and the contemptuous statement from liverpool and suarez is shameful
ReplyDeleteI can accept that he probably isn't a racist and indeed perhaps the word negro isn't an offensive term in his native country, but this ISN'T his native country, its the UK, and it is considered an offensive term here.
ReplyDeleteWhen you go to work in a foreign place you are expected to adapt to the local culture, customs and practices and abide by them and after living here for almost a year he should have known already that such a term is not acceptable here (I'm pretty sure Liverpool will have made such things very clear anyway) and continually pleading that it's not offensive is not going to help his case any.
It's a moment of stupidity rather than anything malicious, I think, but still claiming that he hasn't done anything wrong, when he's already admitted using the term, is just a bit daft imo.
he was ssen on video calling evra BLACKIE - is that acceptable to you then?????
ReplyDeletethey will not move past it at all........it will forever be remembered and reminded believe me
ReplyDeleteEvra didn't use Blackie he said the N word!!!!
ReplyDeletescousers u lot are mad!! havin been found guilty for being abusive racially and then u lot publically supporting him, makin a mockery of 'kick racism out of football' by wearing t-shirts make me laugh. statement was pathetic no apology dalglish pathetic, just made u lot dafter already are!! comical!!!
ReplyDeleteHe never mentioned using negro in this country he mentioned his own country.
ReplyDeleteThe googd thing is he wont be helping Man Utd one jot as he misses the Man City game tonight and guess what hes back just in time for the Man utd game,I think LFC have accepted this ban knowing this to be the case.Everyone knows Evra is a despicable man and Luis is humble kind and gracious,his comeback game will be against manutd to hopefully stop them from winnng the prem.YNWA luis your the innocent party.
ReplyDeleteTroublemaker7 - Stop lying. No 'independent lip reading' experts have confirmed Suarez called Evra 'Blackie' or anything else. if this is true, please provide the proof.
ReplyDeleteWhat did Evra accuse Suarez of saying again on Tv and to Fergie?
ReplyDeleteEvra made a mockery out of racism when he accused Suarez of calling him the N word if he had used the correct word Liverpool might not have supported Suarez like they did but accepted he said negro.
Not once did he deny the Commissions findings and still you blame Evra. If the commission had drawn false conclusions as to what Suarez said why did he not highlight it ?. He didnt, he only claimed that he meant no offense by it. Lets just hope every body learns a lesson from the whole sorry mess.
ReplyDeleteYou can write the word you know! Evra translated the word Negro to Nigger because as he saw it that was the the way the word was being used. The word negro may not in itself be offensive but the word nigger certainly is! That is the crux of the whole thing.
ReplyDeleteThe burden of proof wasn't on him. He was accused he sank himself because he admitted he used the word negro
ReplyDeleteNobody has ever said he used the word nigger!
ReplyDeleteWas he humble and gracious when he bit Otman Bakkal?
ReplyDeleteMy last word on this matter is that its time to move on. We can argue about until the cows come home and never agree. I believe that Suarez was deserving of a ban and that the commission made an informed decision based on the laws of probability. Suarez says that his comments were not racially motivated so we have to take his word for it. My own opinion is that he got caught up in the heat of a derby game and acted in a way that was more out of rivalry rather than racism. My opinion could change on further reflection. Its a serious thing that he has been proven guilty of, so I hope that the commission have got it correct, at this moment I am persuaded they have. I also hope that Suarez can return unscathed and that he can continue to play in the premier league, though I think an apology to Evra would not go amiss. Good luck and God bless.
ReplyDeletewas he humble and gracious during the numerous times he has cheated this season?
ReplyDeletewas he humble and gracious in the World Cup?
ReplyDeleteStop Manchester United from winning the title? Wow, how the mighty Liverpool have fallen. Stopping, rather than winning things. Wow.
ReplyDeletea more practical question: where could one buy the Suarez t-shirt worn by our players in his support? just checked the official site and could not find any.
ReplyDeleteI am still shocked that you'd be willing to sacrifice 4th spot, just so United don't win the title. Wow.
ReplyDeleteAs Rafa would say the facts are:
ReplyDelete1) Suarez used a racial term (admitted by Suarez)
2) Evra took offence (admitted by everyone surely)
3) The Commission found Suarez "guilty" of using a racial term
However Liverpool FC (particulary Dalgish) have been in denial about this from the start and are still in denial. According to the LFC and Suarez statements its as if they believe that Man Utd put together some scheme to stop Suarez/Liverpool. But from a Man Utd perspective this makes no sense - if such a scheme was to be put together wouldn't it be aimed at Man City and one of their players? Suarez is a relatively low goal scoring striker who is liable to get bans anyway and Liverpool are not a title threat. Its much more plausible that the events on the pitch that day were as Evra described rather than as Suarez described.
Not sure what your all arguing about We've got CARROLL!.....LOL
ReplyDeleteas well as Henderson and Downing.....great(!)
ReplyDeleteReally cheesed off we bought these three players.
Looks like its 'rely on Stevie G' time again for the next 7 games....some things will never change :(
It has nothing to do with racism. Suppose you got really annoyed getting called a ginger and threatened to smack me if I called you ginger, if I were to do so, it would be taunting you as a dare to smack me, not that I am biased against gingers in any known way.
ReplyDeleteOhthe80's these were Kenny Dalglish purchases not Damien Commolli's ..including Carroll ... Comoli wanted Lorente ...we got Carroll...Comolli wanted to keep Aquilani and Mereles Kennyw wanted Henderson and Adam ...This will get worse ....Kenny is about to ruin his managerial reputation
ReplyDeleteBy accepting the Suarez ban, Liverpool is condoning and accepting racism. After all, they employed Suarez. Suarez should leave because he cannot and should not play for a racist club.
ReplyDeleteThe reasons I say the above is below…
NEGRO is not a racist word. The United States Census Bureau announced that "Negro" would be included on the 2010 United States Census alongside "Black" and "African-American" - does that mean the US government promotes and condones racism?
The trouble here is the judgement has been made by 3 individuals who probably have never experienced a second of true racism in their lives. They are a joke and disgrace to the United Kingdom.
THE FA OF ENGLAND IS THE RACIST PARTY HERE, NOT LUIS SUAREZ!
His use of the word was racist, there is little doubt about that.
ReplyDeletePutting aside arguments about the fact that he should adapt his language to British culture for one second (which are damning arguments against him too), it remains that there can be little doubt that he is guilty. Sorry to break it to you all, but Suarez is not being honest with the fans.
The word negro 'in his country' (as he puts it) can be used as a term of endearment, or as a grievous insult. We have seen that from the evidence given during his hearing. It's all about the CONTEXT of the usage.
So he is saying that he, in a friendly and kind way, referred to Evra as 'negro'? If he, a Liverpool player, is being friendly to a Man U defender on derby day then he isn't fit to wear the shirt. Let's be honest- he wasn't being friendly. He knew what he was doing. And this is why he isn't appealing. Because he knows he's been caught.
This statement by Suarez is a disingenuous whitewash. In fact, worse than that- it is deliberately dishonest.
Liverpool should open internal disciplinary proceedings against him immediately. If they do not, I expect to see further legal challenges against the club in the near future.
I think just going around telling people you condone racism would be cheaper?
ReplyDeleteSuarez will be moved out of England in this transfer window. Mark my words.
ReplyDeleteMore respect then to keep writing it!
ReplyDeleteShould of used the word that was said not change it for another.
Its appalling that Evra can insult Suarezs sister,how is Luis supposed to react.Evra is a lying horrible little man and he is actually giving black people a bad name as he is using his skin colour to get an innocent man banned.Also if the FA think they are doing good for racism believe me they are not,people are now asking everywhere why is Evra getting upset about his colour,what actually is needling this man,how are we different.Whereas before everyone got on in harmony.Now the ordinary man on the street is disgusted at this injustice and believe me people are talking about how one sided this country is when it comes to justice.
ReplyDeleteWhat? What started it all off was Evra telling the world Suarez was calling him the N word 10 times!
ReplyDeleteHe knew what Negro meant because he told the ref and Giggs he was being called BLACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteIt was the word Fergie used!
ReplyDeleteAre there actually any Liverpool fans posting on this site? I read negative comments every single day from supposed 'fans', slating one thing or another about the club i have supported for 35 years. Slagging off Kenny Dalglish, saying he's 'not the King' and other shit like that. Where the fuck were you lot in 1989? How many funerals did you fucking go to after hillsbrough? Kenny went to every single one of them and it broke his heart. If That tradgedy had happened to any other team and hadn't destroyed Kenny in the way it did, do you still think we'd be sitting here with 18 titles? Man Utd had 7 when we won our last one and Ferguson is hailed as the best manager ever to put on a tracksuit, do you think he'd still have been here if Kenny hadn't left for the good of his own health?
ReplyDeleteHave a look at the football we were playing in the lead up to this time last season and compare that to what you see now. Sure, we're having problems in front of goal but we went to City's home turf and, for the most part, totally outplayed them and made more goal scoring opportunities. Had Suarez or LFC or whoever decided to appeal against the ban, there would have been a totally different outcome.
Downing looked good on the left, he was denied by the England keeper, pass & move football was awesome to watch at times, Henderson & Spearing looked good, maybe Jay was a bit lightweight against Yaya Toure but he's a monster. Pepe had a bad night but other than that the only problem was up front. Carroll is looking like Torres was this time last year, totally devoid of confidence. Probably because he comes on thee message boards, sees the shit written about him and his confidence ebbes away even more. He's one of ours, get behind him - and the rest of the team!
Wow...excellent comment.
ReplyDeleteSecond half was absolutely atrocious. No amount of sugar coating and excuses from you will hide that I'm afraid.
ReplyDeleteThis form of justice goes back hundreds of years when someone would accuse someone else of being a witch,the accused would be lowered into a river tied to a chair,if the accused drowned they said they are not a witch if the accussed lived they said they are a witch and killed them anyway.Whatever happened the accused was going to die and this has happened to Suarez a witch hunt.The racist FA have condemned Suarez on the word of a black man who is a horrible man a liar a trouble maker and a schemer.The whole world knows this is an injustice and nature works in mysterious ways so lets see what happens now shall we.
ReplyDeleteI still don't understand why is the term "negro" considered offensive in your country, since it IS the definitive term for a black man.
ReplyDeleteThe next time a Brit gets caught kissing or holding hands in a Muslim country and is jailed subsequently PLEASE do not let me see your officials trying to extradite him/her.
Hold on here. Patrice evra speaks senegalese, french, italian, spanish, english and some portuguese. He knows a lot of languages, and it can be a bit tricky to keep track of what negro means in each of them. He says he confused it with italian. In Italian it means nigger. He accepted that what suarez said wasn't the same thing as nigger at all.
ReplyDeleteThe Important thing is that Negro in spanish was still unacceptable to evra, and he would still have reported it. He said to the referee that he had been called a black. It's clear that he was unhappy with having his colour used in an argument.
What evra said about suarez's sister was said by the south american spanish language experts to be the equivalent of "f-cking hell". It's sounds weird in english, but suarez would have understood it as "f-cking hell." Suarez doesn't have a sister anyway.
This is a very complicated situation, I think it's very important to make sure you get the details right, so you come to the correct conclusion.
Well say,
ReplyDeleteif being call "black/white people" made you feel offended, please do not go to Asia.
You got battered at City.
ReplyDeleteYour next to last paragraph is libellous and I hope someone from LFC READS IT.
ReplyDelete1) is simply not true. He DID NOT intend it to be racist.
ReplyDeleteI hope someone from LFC reads it -all in capitals- too.
ReplyDeleteUnder UK law, in order for something to be libellous, it is a requirement that the statement be false. Luckily, my second to last paragraph is true, so it won't be a problem.
It should also be proved that the statement caused harm. I think LFC statements are doing that all by themselves without my help.
Lastly, it should be proved that I didn't research into the truthfulness of my statement- well, I've read all the reports, so I have done the research.
Suarez has NOT been charged nor convicted with racism or deemed racist by the FA, the panel, Evra, or anyone related to the case... No idea why anyone would think that wearing the Suarez t-shirt implies condoning racism; if this were the case, the whole Liverpool team and the manager shall be sued for already doing so!
ReplyDeleteIt is a completely separate issue whether one thinks he has been treated fairly or not. This is what the t-shirt is all about.
I am not racist at all and implications to this effect are highly unwelcome.
When are you people going to stop using emotive language. Even the commission did not accuse him or find him guilty of racism. Read your history books and find out what racism truly is. Apartheid, segregation, the KKK etc.,etc. A colour bar is true racism. Whether or not a person has made a racist comment is purely subjective. Alan Hansen was pilloried for trying to avoid using 'black' in his description of former professional footballers. What happened? A plethora of black players came forward screaming " I'm black, I'm black for Christ's sake, not coloured". But, if a player of mixed race says "you are black", all bloody hell breaks loose. Yes, yes, I know it is all about context but that is just it, context is also subjective.
ReplyDeleteJust as an interesting aside, look at how a rugby player is treated when he does something naughty:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jan/04/england-drop-danny-care-arrest
What do you mean by 'You people'?!
ReplyDeleteNah I'm just kidding, you're alright...
Incidentally, as far as I'm concerned the enquiry steered well clear of calling Suarez a racist because of political correctness.
As far as I'm concerned, you call someone negro aggressively then you've acted racistly and you are, if only for a short time, being a racist.
They're splitting hairs to avoid a bigger row. And seeing the way Suarez and Liverpool have reacted to these events, I can see why.
What we need here is a global law that states that regardless of skin colour, a person shall be called "Man" or "Woman".
ReplyDeletePut in force of course, by the anglo saxon.
He told the ref he was being called black on the field the Spanish word for black is negro, pretty simple really instead of turning it into nigger!
ReplyDeleteWhat has the "United States Census Bureau" got to do with the UK/Suarez/Evra? Do you think US law should be applied to this issue? Why not Iran's sharia law?
ReplyDeleteAt this stage the case is closed but I wonder what the majority of Liverpool's fans (of varying backgrounds and ethnicities) make of how Liverpool have handled this. To a non-Liverpool fan like myself it looks like Dalglish has disgraced himself and the club in a misguided effort to show solidarity with Suarez.
To digress - I reckon that Dalglish's judgement as a manager is in steady decline since the 1980s. He inherited the Paisley/Fagan team and did brilliantly with it, added Barnes/Beardsley/Houghton/Aldridge and did arguably even better but after that, and Hillsborough obviously was at the very least a partial cause, his decisions seem less sure - there was an element of desperation and luck about how the league was won in 1990 (remember Rosenthal) and the players that arrived in these later seasons were hardly memorable (e.g. Spackman, Carter). At Blackburn he was in the position Mancini is now - and he did win the league but you could argue that any other reasonable manager from that era could have done so with that kind of money. Also the team he created wasn't built to last (a similar argument could be made about Dalglish's late 80's Liverpool team too but Souness is good at breaking any team up). From Newcastle on Dalglish's judgement looks more and more erratic - some of the news conferences he gave at that time are eccentric to say the least (e.g. Stevenage Borough and all that) and Newcastle fans don't remember too many of Dalglish's signings. And then he went to Celtic as a long-lost favourite son as a messiah and ... he wasn't. Now he's back at Liverpool ... he's looked good initially compared with Hodgson because he's had the backing of the fans and the players from day one while Hodgson never had the backing of the fans nor the players (just look at their body language when they played for Hodgson), but I reckon Dalglish's judgement of players is still not good:
Carroll - the new Duncan Ferguson (if he comes good);
Adam - not a Liverpool class player;
Downing - not a Liverpool class player;
Henderson - not yet but could come good;
Suarez - has the skills but doesn't score enough, always in trouble.
So not one of the signings, including Suarez, has made the impact of a Beardsley or a Barnes or an Aldridge.
And I reckon that he has misjudged Suarez in this Evra/Suarez case as well but is blinded by loyalty to his players.