Luis Suarez and LFC Issue Apologies

By: Ed | February 12th, 2012

“I have spoken with the manager since the game at Old Trafford and I realise I got things wrong. I’ve not only let him down, but also the Club and what it stands for and I’m sorry. I made a mistake and I regret what happened. I should have shaken Patrice Evra’s hand before the game and I want to apologise for my actions. I would like to put this whole issue behind me and concentrate on playing football.”

Ian Ayre and Kenny Dalglish have also issued apologies, with Ayre speaking about how disappointed the club are with Suarez, underlining that their assumption had been that the handshake would take place after assurances from the Ururguayan. Dalglish’s statements have a similar sentiment, speaking of the responsibility all parties have in representing Liverpool, and further apologizing for his conduct in the post-match, in which he apparently responded without having seen what Suarez had done during the pre-match ceremony.

So while that’s probably not the last of this whole miserable mess, it’s at least a competent-seeming handling of a situation that, at times, has been unbearable to watch unfold. The apologies seem genuine enough, or as genuine as short paragraphs of words released on an official website can seem, and hopefully are ones that see the club start to move on from its close association with controversy. Shame that we won’t be able to see Liverpool and controversy shake hands, though, as now we’ll never know for sure if they really mean they’ve put their tenuous relationship behind them.

For their part Manchester United have accepted the apology, which is nice enough, and something that certainly allows for them to come out of the whole ordeal relatively unscathed. That’s already been assured by the predictably damning reaction from a press collective that’s pounced on even the most ambiguous of actions from Liverpool, and a snubbed handshake that would have solved world hunger was anything but ambiguous.

But in the interest of rounding off the dumbest discussion nobody wants to continue, it’ll be curious to see if there is any attention paid to Rio Ferdinand’s own decision to snub Suarez beyond some mealy-mouthed “I saw what he did to Patrice” retroactive justification, as well as any acknowledgement that Evra’s post-match celebration was an over-exuberant effort to publicly shame the striker and a thinly-veiled solicitation of further abuse for the Liverpool man.

But that’d require we continue to focus on this. I’ve got little interest in ever talking about this again—this became a season-defining issue long before everyone decided that handshakes were the best way to cure racism, or not, and it’s made following Liverpool a completely maddening experience. Rare have been the moments when the football’s been solely about the football, with some hot-button issue attached to the club at seemingly every turn. It’s been divisive in the extreme, with your value as a supporter determined by where you stood, and allowed for creation of the myth that there’s definitively a right and wrong. There’s not. That it’s been ugly and embarrassing is about as close to truth as we have in all of this.

As part of a season preview back in August I wrote this:

5) What happens in a season without off-the-pitch drama?

It’s almost a foreign concept to consider a season without high drama for Liverpool. The football’s unfortunately been relatively benign over the past two seasons, but it’s taken place in the midst of ownership struggles and managerial turnover. Over the past few years it seems like we’ve yearned for the days of being able to focus solely on the actual matches; the first few months of last season saw a drawn-out transition in ownership followed by a change in manager at the turn of the new year. Both necessary, and both welcomed in their own way, but both things that served to distract our attentions.

The 2011-2012 season serves as one of the first in recent memory that, unless I’m missing something major, we don’t need to account for how the club survives some sort of off-pitch psychodrama. Now’s the time to get the answer to the question about what Liverpool can achieve when all the front office pieces are settled—the owners, manager, and staff seem to be perfectly placed, leaving our focus firmly placed on the football.

So that was a nice thing to write back when I was overly optimistic and probably really drunk. Also, it was completely idiotic. Drama is all that Liverpool have done consistently well this season. It’d be nice for that to change. Hopefully today’s apologies are a step in a different direction—one that leaves controversy behind.

Even if the club decides to skip the handshake that’d seal it once and for all.

Some Related Liverpool Posts:

Category: Team News

« Manchester United 2, Liverpool 1: A Lack of Class | Home | You Might Be an Idiot »

Privatdetektiv

It's good that he is feeling guilty for his deeds, i think only brave person have that ability to apologize.
Rune

It's very sad times for a liverpool supporter.
The results on the pitch is a joke and all headlines nowadays makes us look like clowns.
Supporting people like Adam, downing and some others makes a sour taste and just hopes for someone new to come into the team.

Suarez case has put the club and supporters in really bad situation.
The media has chosen scum as the 'nice' club.
We are expected to lie down so that those who feel like it can take a piss...

Next season can't come quick enough, this summer I'm not sure that I will miss PL like I normaly do. We all need a rest from the FA, scum glorifications, overpaid bastards and so on...
Latortillablanca

How bout dem yanks, eh? In a situation that was crying out for adult supervision, they've provided it, and in doing so added yet another blurb to their timeline as class owners that take charge when taking charge is needed, stand aside when standing aside is needed.

I agree with trev that the media storm won't abide, in particular where suarez is concerned, but lets be honest - to this point in his professional career, 7 has been a walking controversy, for better or for worse. At least we now know that luis either will shape up or he will be gone, to be replaced with another hero we can all sing about on saturdays. Because that's what happens at Liverpool. Great players come and great players go, but the club remains - thank you to FSG for reaffirming that.
Mekusdagama

Wake up and smell the coffee. No "great" players will be coming here after that farce.
Jake_LFC

This is all just a bit too sickening for me. The day the players wore the T-shirts and the club made that exceptionally strong statement in support of Suarez was the proudest I can remember as an LFC fan. To us that was a proclamation of 'we will not stand for injustice. We will not allow our name to be dragged through the mud. We are LFC, and we will go to the depths of the universe to clear ours and Luis's names'. And goddamn did it make us proud to be supporters of a club with true backbone.

Since then, we have not done one thing to back that statement up. We declined to appeal the verdict, neglected to take any further action, legal or otherwise, and, today, thoroughly hung our player out to dry after putting him an extremely difficult position. Why make that vehement a statement if you're unwilling to stand behind it? Why not wage war against Man Utd, Evra, and the media just as some fans have been? Where is the pride?

The management and ownership teams have made LFC out to be a bunch of blabbering fools, in my opinion, and the extent to which we are now Ferguson's bitch is disgusting. I wouldn't be surprised if this portends the end of Suarez's Liverpool career, and as I mentioned in the previous thread, that would very likely signal the end of my support of the club - and the sport - as well.

Until now there had been an element of faith in the club's management whereby even the most confusing scenarios - think the Torres and Meireles transfers, and the beginning of this saga - could be explained by some form of 'well they must know what they are doing and have had good reason for taking this action. Now? That faith has been shattered, and I no longer can rule out simple incompetence.
Mekusdagama

We are a spineless, liverless, rudderless club. And for the first time in my life I actually regret being a liverpool fan.
purify_the_body

Yep, incompetence covers it almost every time when there's a gigantic cluster-f**k like this. Utd have supreme organizational continuity with the same manager for 25 yrs, legal and PR people in place for years, members of their club enmeshed in English football charities, the FA, coaching ranks, etc., media on a string and all that. They are prepared. Look at the recent Rooney rumors just one month ago -- they were on top of that situation with a statement issued quickly that completely shut it down.

Meanwhile Liverpool have a commercial director recruited by a search firm in 2007, a scouting director with small history in England brought from France in 2010, and a manager who gives a mean post-match interview and is big in the history books but got plucked off a cruise ship to parachute in and save the team just a year ago. It's a mish-mash of people completely unsuited to the task.

Who else do we have on PR, Ian Cotton? He either has no idea how PR works or doesn't have the pull to get anything done. The t-shirts, the statements, everything points to Dalglish just making everything up as he went along. And he clearly had no idea how the FA commission process worked, nor did Liverpool's legal representation. And then they couldn't even get Suarez to go along. Who knows, maybe they were speaking to him in English and he just nodded and didn't understand. Dalglish didn't even know about the skipped handshake 2 hrs later! wtf!

So simple incompetence it is. Such is life!
deadlydirk_killerkuyt

it's crazy that the only way a person can get away from incidents like this unscathed is if he/she totally 100% did not do anything wrong. and we know that no one did everything 100% right. nobody's perfect.

as far as the media is concerned, just any small baby-sized misstep from suarez or liverpool is enough to fire up the 'blown way out of proportion' wagon and cover up any giant sized misstep by any other party. rio's non-handshake, terry's 'lets scrap the handshake alltogether', 115 page reports...

not saying that suarez's was a small baby-sized misstep in itself, maybe a regular normal adult sized misstep. it's good to say that we apologize, get on with it, focus on ourselves. in fact that's the best thing to do. but it's only good if everyone does it. even when liverpool focus on liverpool, there will still be others who will also focus on liverpool, finding that small baby-sized misstep to scrutinize. who's 'blowing out of proportion' the FA's actions?

again, not saying that liverpool/suarez are totally blameless in all of this.

i miss lucas...
archduke_franz

I only occasionally post, but I really cant stop myself this time.
I think its disturbing that so many people posting find a way to assign blame to Evra for "withdrawing his hand" or the wider British media for having some kind of agenda against the club. It seems totally obvious to me that not only did our player create this situation himself (by abusing Evra and then basically admitting it in an interview shortly thereafter), but the club (including Kenny) have mostly made the situation worse with their creation of a paranoid siege mentality.

I love LFC, and I'm not trying to be hostile. It's just really frustrating that I feel shittier than I did during Woy about the club.
Latortillablanca

thank you for acknowledging a fact that seems impossible to get through the protective bubble that only "true" supporters seem able to access.

it takes guts to back your man in a fight, it takes a lot more guts to admit your mistakes in the face of criticism from all quarters. Thank goodness we've got someone running this club willing to put the tradition and honor of the club ahead of any one individual, even if that individual is the demi-god dalglish or his holy suarezness.
Reba

I'm sorry, when did Suarez admit to abusing Evra? According to the FA report Suarez says that he used the word "negro" (nay-grow) one time, and he used it in a context that would in no way be considered racist in his native language and culture. And language experts supported that.
Latortillablanca

it is precisely the context in which he used it that makes it an unacceptable use of the term.
archduke_franz

oh and here, the beeb

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/f...
archduke_franz

I really do not think that makes much of a difference, as he is playing professionally in a country where it is offensive.
Mekusdagama

Can someone please explain to me how calling anyone negro in any context can be seen as racist? I might be an idiot but to me any black man who is offended by the term negro is suffering from a serious inferiority complex.
Latortillablanca

not only this, but even in Uruguay, the use of that term in an antagonistic way completely changes the meaning of the term. ie its no longer the jovial, friendly nickname for someone you care about, it becomes derogatory.

i really dont understand what is so difficult to grasp about this distinction, and i guess 80% of the people on this blog never will, but there is a distinction nonetheless.
purify_the_body

Damien Comolli to-do list:
- new rule: start "working" by doing "job" during "work hours"
- hire PR firm (expensive one)
- hack into Graham Carr's email account and phone
- sign left winger
- send thank-you card to Mrs. Henry
- sign right winger
- block Kenny's phone and email from end of season to Sep. 1st
- send interns to put laxatives (large dose) in Charlie Adam's game-day meal (once/week)
- read Machiavelli's The Prince, take notes, review notes
- get approval for budget to buy journos/plant shills in press
- cancel subscription to 'daily bon bon' delivery
- sign central midfielder
- sell Joe Cole to Lille or Cirque de Soleil
- see if any English club or animal shelter willing to buy Carroll
- repeat to self every day 10 times 'I will not sell Suarez to Real Madrid for less than 60m'
- list ex-Liverpool players who are potential FA Board members, prepare bribes/envelopes
- find copy of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Antonio

When I first saw on TV, Suarez refuse a hand shake, I think that was "suck", media have been focusing this, it will become a big talk than the match no matter the result was.
Personally I think it was very un-sportmanship of Suarez. I even thought that could it be him thinking too big for himself, bigger than the club, bigger than all the fans that backed him, and make him think that the fan will back him again for not shaking the hand.
It was a big mistake, shake the hand and move on, it just that, for the sake of the game. Don't blame the media or whoever to blow up the situation again, it take 2 hand to clap.
tony

The King did the right thing. We don't need distractions. Done. We have the biggest date in 2 weeks at Wembley. Can you imagine what kind of a feast the fucking media hounds will have if we lose?

no way that will happen though.
redtrev73

Evenin' all. Tried to get on here last night but the gloom and aggression levels were too high with the sad spectre of Redman turning on Redman. So frankly, my mental health was more important. The vista, seen through the prism of Sunday's media coverage, ain't any prettier today though.

Sad fact 1; The club, through a Kenny presser had said that Suarez would shake Evra's hand.

Sad fact 2; Luis decided to go on a solo run and contradict the words of his staunchest ally and my fucking hero.

Sad fact 3; The media, already out for blood, now has the howl of self-righteous indignation to justify their nauseatingly ignorant tirades.

Even if Evra did make a clearly half-assed effort and partially witheld his hand, it was down to Luis to grab that hand and BE SEEN TO DO SO.

Moral outrage about who is the real victim is redundant because Suarez is the perceived aggressor and the acceptance of the ban bore this out. His role yesterday, therefore, was to be seen to make a conciliatory gesture. We may argue the relative merits of this farcical charade, but again, that dialogue is now also redundant.

The sight of S*y TV's Shreeves baiting Kenny and The King being backed into a corner from where he came out with a clearly contradictory statement was seriously unedifying. Almost as unedifying as the same tv hack's fellating of Ferguson as the poisonous old bastard lectured LFC about who should wear the shirt.

I'd love to say that these statements are the beginning of an image rehabilitation that should have started yesterday but alas, that would be naive. The major papers and Sky TV now have a major hard-on for Suarez AND Dalglish...and they will not stop until one or both have been crushed. If you think otherwise, wake up.

Think of the momentum and fervour that's currently behind Saint 'Arry For Eng-er-land. Now, double that, because these bastards are far more interested in tearing down than building up.

So folks, we need to reassess here. This may not be over. This may not go away until the febrile press-pack get their pound of flesh. Let's remember that we're a family. Let's quit the bitching and try to be rational because we're the only ones who will be.

Let's hope we can just be football supporters again soon. Not sociologists. Not media analysts. Not fucking linguists. Remember that?
Zach

damn straight trev. I always admire your clear-headedness about these issues and the ability for you to speak up and get others to calm down. Cheers.
redtrev73

Cheers Zach, good of you to say so mate. Here's to a win tomorrow
Ryan

You know, the only reason we like you is that we all think you're really Kenny Dalglish because of your picture.
redtrev73

Goes without saying Ryan. Similarly, my owl fetish is the only reason I'm so fond of you!
Ed

Wait, what are you saying?
GalahadThreepwood

Well said as usual, Trev. Your comments are one of the highlights of reading this blog. Just hope that we Reds are able to stay together and keep our sanity through this, because I believe it'll be a long time before we hear the end of Suarezgate. I'm worried this is going to stay with him for his whole career in England.
redtrev73

Very sound of you to say as much Bob...we proper Redmen will ALWAYS stay together
Momo

"Even if Evra did make a clearly half-assed effort and partially withheld his hand"

You mean completely...

https://p.twimg.com/AlYzEMbCIA...
https://p.twimg.com/AlYyfMeCMA...

"it was down to Luis to grab that hand and BE SEEN TO DO SO."

No it wasn't,it was a light fastening reaction and I'm happy he didn't knock down Evra.Actually he behaved and controlled himself that's why Evra went farther with a vicious reaction in the tunnel during half time and right after the game to push Suarez to commit a suicidal gesture.

And why in the whole world a hot tempered man from
Southern part of this planet would shake the hand of someone who insulted him
by referring to his sister’s anatomy and furthermore accused him of racial
abuse.

The FA (Ferguson and associates) never condemned Evra for his proven misconduct towards Suarez and never asked footballers to be respectful with the honor of people they play against week in week out.They pledge themselves in a questionable anti-racism campaign just to impress foreign countries in the verge of the Olympic games.

iT'S A PITY England is a country
full of pundits and journalists without honor, most of them are full of venom and racism towards those who can break down the Establishment’s hypocrisy.

Suarez might be everything disgusting but a hypocrite? Come on...two weeks ago he showed his passion for our colors when Kuyt scored the winner,he's a true Red,a die hard fan.

He's in the mold of someone like Zidane (honor
issue with Materrazzi )Family is above all.It's in his culture,you don't mess with Family in those countries.

Yet what still hurts me in this saga is the fact when Nasri did manage to not shake Gallas’ hand, nothing serious happened
in the aftermath of the incident.

So imho all this stuff is down to the galaxy of sky,manure,Murdochs,Ferguson etc..;their business is coming to an end,that's why they want to chop Suarez's head to win an extra time.

Hypocrisy seems to be a virtue
nowadays, they tell you do whatever you like but stay politically correct even if it is at the
expense of your culture and moral values ands everything will be ok for you in these dirty waters.
Latortillablanca

Well, I guess you can choose to see whatever you want from that clip, but it is beside the point, as trev clearly laid out.

Not one post i've read since saturday has mentioned that evra or the FA or ferguson or whomever else are blameless in this. but evra doesn't play for liverpool. and luis suarez disobeyed a direct order that was made specifically for the better interests of the club. everything else can be argued about i guess, but at the end of the day, in the structure of a team, suarez cannot be above reproach. he cannot be allowed to turn on dalglish's orders.

If it takes ownership to get this point across, then so be it.
brother jon

BREAKING: Zambia exuberantly pray and chant there way to ANC championship over CIV. it's worth a shot, Kenny. and it'd be a brilliant pr pivot. lavish, in-match, prayer and chanting lead by a bearded Charlie, and in our new ash cloth unis. #clherewecome
Latortillablanca

i wud take that cdm (sunzu?) as lucas/spearing cover with no qualms whatsoever...
poorscouserbobby

What bugs me:
The idiots over at the PFA... Gordon Taylor... "sickened", "the FA is going to have to get involved". The fucking cunt, the FA already got involved, and issued out an 8 match ban. The fairness of such I compare to a chance on goal where the player was potentially offside. It's done, the chance is gone, either in or out, decision made and it's over. so the FA has stepped in and now it's over. The FA CHOSE to cancel the handshake a smaller match yet not this one, and when something controversial popped up, it is the end of the fucking world as we know it! ZOMBIES MAN, ZOMBIES!

1) Suarez apologized for not acting like a man and not shaking Evra's hand, the club backed his apology, the scum accepted, this should be over. 2) the next time there is a match the two will shake hands and and continue to dislike one another.

Lets get back to football lads. If it's brought up Liverpool should say this has already been discussed, Suarez deemed guilty served his span and then apologized for acting childish, done. Next question. FOOTBALL. COME ON YOU REDS!
Waiting for Sterling

My personel opinion:

All this apology stuff is LFC deciding that they can't change how society now views them from people outside of the club. Because of this, they decided to give in and just suck it up and move on like professionals. I'm more than happy to put all this behind and move on to what LFC should really be about, football.

P.S.
I stand 100% behind all players and staff of this club.
brooklyn-red

kd most probably did knock suarez off his pedestal for a quick lecturing as i suggested in yesterdays post need happen. kd most probably also was knocked off his pedestal by his betters for a quick lecturing. Fenway Group would like to see interest in the club expand rather than contract and that will happen when we take silverware and make top 4.
poorscouserbobby

King Kenny may have been spoken to by higher, but in my opinion his betters are not of this earth.
Khaine

Great post by Roy over at TAW.

http://www.theanfieldwrap.com/...
Marque Pierre Sondergaard

I liked the fact that Gary Neville was among the pundits passing judgement on that game on MOTD. Funny, nobody asked Gary if he also believed it was atrocious not to shake some guy's hand:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

Now, can we play some football please? Winning the Carling Cup will be a nice way to put this behind us.
Khaine

“If you don’t like someone, don’t shake their hand.” ~ Gary Neville
Excellent.
brother jon

even a broken clock...
Marque Pierre Sondergaard

To be honest, when it comes down to it, I doubt too many people would have the self control to do what they were expecting Suarez to do. I can quickly imagine similar situations from my life, where simply just refraining from punching the other guy in the face would be a major victory.

But I suppose, in England a handshake is how you once and for all solve problems of a racist nature. And if that fails, then boo the brother of the involved at every touch.
Ed

Couple links that are mandatory viewing and may or may not show up in future posts--John Barnes on ESPNUK and SkySports talking about yesterday's incidents, as well as a really frank and, in a self-reflective way, painful discussion about racism.

http://www.espn.co.uk/football...
http://www.skysports.com/video...

And for posterity's sake, him lighting it up on the pitch as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
brother jon

great links, Ed. cheers!
5yearplan

John Barnes, a sensible man in a crazy world.

Great player too
Lis

Here's a link to Barnes' interview with Talksport: http://www.talksport.co.uk/rad...
Ed

Ah, thanks, caught the last few minutes of it and had meant to go back to find it. More excellence.

Love the moment that he rips Paddy Barclay for being holier than thou now, but not writing anything about it 20 years ago.
Lis

Thanks for the links, very thought-provoking and dignified interviews. Barnes has been one of the few voices of reason during this whole ordeal.
Barrett

Well said John Barnes.. well said
fastrail

No comment. Now can we please get back to scoring goals, please?!
Damu

It is really sad that Kenny had to apologise, but of course the suits need to sell shirts. Gathering from whatever is in the open, Suarez has misled the Liverpool manager and therefore us in this issue. He has always been backed by most LFC fans. It is time that he repays our faith. And enough with the off-field things. Let us go back to football. It is funny how we fans are fighting over millionaires kicking a ball about and having playground fights. But that is the magic of football I guess :). Dreaming about a time when the only tweets midweek will be about Kuyt's kids or Lucas colouring his hair purple rather than all this shite, Let the talk be about our football rather than other antics.
Mekusdagama

Not so sure this will go away that easy. Thoroughly disgusted how LFC have handled this matter.
RedLiverBird

Speaking of which I would happily sell my $100 Suarez jersey for $50 or.best.offer......
brother jon

how bout a trade for a knock-off Michael Owen? never worn (in public).
Scotty

Thank goodness. I feel for Kenny Dalglish. He was let down badly by a player he backed to the hilt in affect putting his own reputation and standing on the line also.

I for one will find it very hard to forgive Suarez. Yesterday one of our greatest legends gave the appearance of lying about the non-handshake. For me that's repugnant and humiliating he was put in that position. Suarez also let down his team-mates. I wonder if Liverpool's flat performance in the 2nd half reflected this?I wonder how the owners feel? Interesting that Ian Ayre made a statement too. You have to wonder if this whole shabby affair (regardless of who is to blame) won't have negatively affected our ability to find a naming rights partner for any new stadium.And beyond that - Suarez has NOT been a success on the pitch. For all his wonderful invention with the ball and tenacity he does not score enough goals and frequently spurns match-winning chances. The latest example was against Spurs last Monday. The header from about 8 yards should have been a goal. Yes, Kuyt and Carroll are also at fault but his chance/conversion ratio just isn't good enough. While it's obvious he is totally committed to his club and the players around him on the pitch he is not doing what he was bought to do: score goals. Where is the player who scored 4 in his last competitive outing for Uruguay or scored about 2 goals every 3 games for Ajax?We desperately need to see that player if we are to have any chance of a top-four finish. God knows Louis Suarez owes that to his manager Kenny Dalglish after yesterday and the prior 5 months.
Red2death

So, perhaps we should go for Podolski instead? I for one wouldn't mind. But I also think that (assuming he starts acting more professionally), Suarez is still a class player and an important asset to the team. All strikers have lean periods (see: Torres, Drogba, Rooney, Hernandez, Berbatov, Etc), but the quality is always there and he'll come good and get his conversion ratio back up soon enough. I'll always back him as long as he continues to be a red, and acts like one.
Latortillablanca

i would really prefer suarez just takes a page outta lucas' book, puts his head down and comes through the other side of this mess. that said, ya, he's not irreplaceable, no one's irreplaceable. Although, i do wonder about podolski's drive and desire to be one of the best. he couldn't handle the spotlight at FC Hollywood, what makes anyone think he could handle the white hot, worldwide spotlight in the EPL? we sell suarez we better be goin all in for a hazard/goetze level player... but like i said, id rather it not get there.
Luis Suarez Dentist

You just know it has been a sureal, head scratching weekend when an Uncle Woy team scores five away from home!!!!!!!!!!!!
Luis Suarez Dentist

There has been a lot of arguments back and forth but it is now time to point out the rules and rights and wrongs (thanks to the Media, FA, Ferguson and Evra)It is not acceptable to refer to someones skin colour, however it is perfectly ok to abuse people's sisters.It is not acceptable to refuse to shake someone's hand unless you are an England international like Rio Ferdinand. Please note if you are a current or former England captain you will be allowed the option to skip handshakes all together.When speaking in another language you must always be aware what the said words 'might' mean in English rather than in the language that they are actually spoken in.Wearing T-shirts to support a team mate is not allowed and if done will mean your whole club will be judged as guilty of the same offences the one player is accused of.You have the right to an appeal but your case will be pre judged in the media and all appeals are subject to a 99.5% failure rate. You are guilty until proven innocent.If you have once been sent off for blocking the ball on a goal line it clearly means that you are probably racist.If you refuse to shake someone's hand it is reasonable to expect the oppositions manager to call for you never to play for your team again, as this is a far more serious offence than Karate kicking the crowd or booting opponents up in the air from behind.You have just got to love 'justice' the English way......
brother jon

also, if you lose your appeal, the penalty may be go up.

would you send this to the FA and see if we've left anything out?
Luis Suarez Dentist

Oops I missed that last bit out! If I was to send the FA anything it would be a week old dropping from the pooch!
brother jon

good call.
Zach

Remember when Lucas was pwn-ing the fields of twitter? Why can't we just have those days back?
Lis

I think the official website should run a weeklong Lucas special: interviews, pictures, videos etc. It would certainly brighten up my week.
Zach

Can we get a petition going for that? Or may we dare ask Ed and Noel to give us a day or two concerning Lucas? It could be just photoshopped images of him in Rio or on some grand adventures in Brazilian jungle... or whatever. Just something happy about a South American who no one can really say has no class.
Lis

The Suarez-Evra saga seems to be the gift that keeps on giving so perhaps Noel and Ed would welcome a distraction post or two on our adorable Lucas. [Although maybe not "photoshopped images of him in Rio" ;)]
Zach

de Janerio! ...blast it all. ha
Noddy

would that be Rio Ferdinand
that would be a photoshop worth seeing
Red2death

Nice actions by the club. Now that's how we do things.

As for actual justice or fair treatment, we'll just have to accept there is none. Evra gets away with lying because a panel said so, no one will talk about Rio's snub, and Utd will continue hanker opponents outside the confines of actual football (hopefully not to the point of 8 game bans and destroyed reputations, but no guarantee) with impunity.

But that's another matter for the FA and the media to deal with. And incompetent/blinkered as we know both of them are, it's beyond our control to change them.

All we can do is act like LFC, and at least the apologies here, no matter how terse or grudgingly issued, were in line with what LFC stands for and made some restitution for very un-LFC-like behaviour at OT.

Now bring on the criticism that it's below us to apologize to Utd because we did nothing wrong and they're ten times worse themselves.
Andy

Absolutely, yesterday was the club picking up the pieces for what Suarez and KD should've done alrealdy. We should've been the bigger men and just shook his hand, avoided confrontation and concentrated on the game. I'm really impressed with Henry's decision here. It's about time we started acting like an international institution of Liverpool's calibre, instead of acting like children. Manchester United and Evra should follow suit.
19 and counting...

take the blinders off dude - i know you cant accept the truth that your #7 screwed up - deal with it, stop blaming United for your troubles. Maybe if you worry less about United and concentrate on footy, you might try catching up with Utd in titles won(and pigs will fly).
Luis Suarez Dentist

A Manure fan comes on a Liverpool fan page to tell Liverpool fans to stop concentrating on Utd. Can you even spell irony?
Mekusdagama

Fergie tells us our star player should never play for us again yet ALL his star players have commited worse sins. How's that for irony.
Red2death

Point taken. It's a he-said-he-said situation, so you're entitled to believe whichever party you choose.

But just as aside, it's blinkers with a 'k'. A 'blinder' on the other hand, looks more like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
19 and counting...

From Wikipedia:
Blinders, also known as blinkers or winkers, are a piece of horse tack that prevent the horse seeing to the rear and, in some cases, to the side.
Red2death

Sorry, my bad. Now that I look it up, on the balance of probabilities you're probably right. It was my fault not to realize that a word can have two different meanings in a different context. I apologize.
deadlydirk_killerkuyt

where's the 115 page report for that?
justin

winning.
Ed

THIS HAS A DOUBLE MEANING THAT I LIKE VERY MUCH
Sandro

so we should worry less about United so we concentrate on trying to catch up with UNITED in titles... seems ironic
19 and counting...

true...now that i have re-read it -ironic and funny- coz you will never catch up with United!
Ryan

My penis is much larger than yours. WIN.
Zach

I was going to just post "YES" as a reply to this but then realized it might be a bit awkward....
Mike

It's been a fair few fallow years for the New York Yankees you know.
CheekyFellow

We signed him after he bit someone's neck. 'Nuff said.

How about the team goes out and wins a couple games. Well, several.

*Neck/Shoulder, not ear. Haha.
DJ-Chutfield

Neck actually, you're thinking of Mike Tyson ;)

But yes, agreed. We knew hot-headedness and controversy were part of the package when we signed Suarez, and I for one love it. But I'm with you, Ed, I said everything I needed to say on this matter yesterday. I'm finished with it and hope (but obviously know we can never) move on from this unpleasantness and focus on the fucking football.
purify_the_body

Actually, that was Mike Tyson. Suarez bit a guy's shoulder.

Agree with you about the wins, of course. :)
Marque Pierre Sondergaard

With teeth like that, somebody's bound to get in the way some times... :D

Sorry. Couldn't resist that.