Evra accuses Suarez of racism

[Chazza]

Don't know if this has been posted yet but Standard Chartered have also voiced concerns

(Reuters) - Liverpool's U.S. owners and their shirt sponsor intervened over the weekend to help defuse a race row that was damaging one of the most successful English football clubs.

Forward Luis Suarez apologised on Sunday for not shaking opponent Patrice Evra's hand before his team's 2-1 defeat at Manchester United and manager Kenny Dalglish also said sorry for his post-match reaction when challenged over the snub.

Suarez was returning to the Liverpool starting line-up for the first time since serving an eight-match ban for racially abusing Evra during a match in October.

Standard Chartered, a bank which pays around 20 million pounds a season to sponsor the former English champions, went public with its criticism in a brief statement,

"We were very disappointed by Saturday's incident and have discussed our concerns with the club," the bank said in a statement.

A person familiar with the matter said: "It was a very robust conversation."

Europe's largest soccer clubs are now major brands who attract international sponsors and have fans around the globe.

Standard Chartered was attracted to Liverpool by its strong Asian support base. The bank is based in London but makes almost all its profits in Asia. Most of its staff are in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

The BBC reported that the Fenway Sports Group, the U.S. group that bought the club in 2010 and also owns the Boston Red Sox baseball team, had said an apology was necessary.

A spokesman for Liverpool declined to comment on the reports that pressure had been brought to bear.

The English Football Association, which imposed the original eight-match ban, will take no action over Suarez's refusal to shake hands because it is not a disciplinary issue.

The British government will host a summit in the next few weeks to discuss the issue of racism in soccer after two high-profile stories this season.

Chelsea captain John Terry will go on trial in July accused of racially abusing opponent Anton Ferdinand during an on-pitch row in a Premier League match in October.

Terry, who denies wrongdoing, has been stripped of the England captaincy for the Euro 2012 tournament and manager Fabio Capello quit as a result.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/0...81C0V020120213

[Fivex]

Wow. Not surprising really, but why go public with that statement? :ffs:

[Baracus]

Not good. They did not have to release that in Public. The Hounds will be out. Not Good. Drama. Drama. Drama. LFC do fecking Drama all the fecking time.

[Fivex]

Not good. They did not have to release that in Public. The Hounds will be out. Not Good. Drama. Drama. Drama. LFC do fecking Drama all the fecking time.

No offence but reading your posts, it's clearly rubbing off on you.

[Chazza]

Tony Barrett on Talk Sport this afternoon to discuss events

[Baracus]

No offence but reading your posts, it's clearly rubbing off on you.

I am all drama :dramaqueen:

[Chazza]

Barrett on next

http://www.talksport.co.uk/radioplayer/live/

[fah-q]

Can you summarise what he says please?

[Chazza]

Can you summarise what he says please?

Will report back and debrief

[Alex]

Talking about Wolves.

[fah-q]

Will report back and debrief

Thanks.

[danperkins]

Fergie is very much devious and has proven to be a master manipulator of the media, he played a blinder the cunt! As far as i'm concerned the less said about this whole situation, the better. It must be put behind us and we must start focusing on LFC the football team. Let's start that by winning the Carling Cup and take it from there

[Muddled]

It would have been just terrific if Standard Chartered had said 'no comment'.

[Chazza]

Thanks.

Not much we don't already know

The club currently is not looking to get rid of Suarez but they do feel let down by him

Everyone at the club backed him throughout the case but when they didn't appeal the decision then Dalglish probably shouldn't have kept saying they didn't agree with it and Suarez shouldn't have been banned

The club/Dalglish/Suarez and Ferguson should have looked to draw a line under it sooner

Said he feels a lot of what Suarez does is for himself and not the team and LFC need to try and change that

Also said Tony Evans thinks Suarez is guilty of the offense and has thought that as soon as he heard what was said but Barrett feels cultural differences were an issue.

I think they will be talking to a journo from the US later

[Craig_H]

Can you summarise what he says please?

Paraphrasing, but basically:


Talksport:
Can Suarez survive all of this that is going on? There's been talk that he will be sold in the summer, do you agree?

TB:
No, i dont agree, i'm not aware that those decisions have been made. Suarez is in a difficult position, he the misled club and Kenny and this has obviously put him in a difficult situation. Players dont get too many chances when they let down their manager and eventually the manager tends to let him go, but that position hasnt been reached. Liverpool are still standing by him but are disappointed with him over what's happened this weekend.



Talksport:
A lot of people are saying that with Kenny having been out of the game so long, perhaps lost touch a little with things and that he's been misguided, he's been a bit old school in sticking with his player regardless and no matter what he does when in fact, there are things where you simply cannot back your player if he goes too far. Has this made him look a bit out of touch?

TB:
No, i think the complexities of the issue put Kenny in a bad position, with the cultural nuances and this was quite a unique situation as these things dont crop up with most other regular footballing issues. Kenny backed him from the start and felt he had to continue to do so. It went on for so long and it was felt that a line in the sand had to be drawn for the benefit of everyone.

What's sad is that nobody gave themselves the chance to move on after the weekend, not Suarez, not the club, not Evra and not Alex Ferguson. Kenny's backing for Suarez should have made Suarez think that he owes the manager, and that's what has upset Kenny after he put his trust in Suarez.
I dont think anyone came out of it well or got portrayed how they'd want to be, which is disappointing.



Talksport:
Given how big a figure Kenny is at Liverpool and how strong his position is, was John Henry a bit slower to step in because it was Kenny and nobody can override Kenny?

TB:
I dont think it was that, it was the club as a whole who directed the policy on Suarez and decided to support him - there were no dissenting voices in the club saying 'dont back him' etc. Suarez said in his native tongue that the word he used isnt derogitory and despite what the commission found, the club did not agree with the verdict and backed Suarez as a whole.

Kenny said he didnt think Suarez should have been banned, but he needed to appeal it and fight it, not say it and do then nothing. If you believe you have a strong case then follow it through and back it up, but you can't have it both ways.


Talksport:
It's always difficult for supporters to condemn their own player, as we've seen with Mickey Quinn this morning. Yet your colleague Tony Evans came out conclusively against Suarez and basically called him a cheat.

TB:
Tony's held that view from the word go, as soon as the word 'negro' was found to have been used. He saw it as an open and shut case, but i dont see it that way. Suarez is the kind of player who you love if he's your player, he'll bend the rules where he can, to score a goal or to win, that's how he is and if he is your player you enjoy that, but opposition fans hate it. I feel that Liverpool need to channel Suarez's passion so that it's more for the team rather than for him individually. The club have indulged him a bit recently and that needs to change.