‘Unreliable’ Suarez slated
LIVERPOOL striker Luis Suarez called Manchester United’s Patrice Evra a ‘‘negro’’ seven times in the incident that led to him being banned for eight matches, according to a disciplinary commission that branded Suarez’s evidence as ‘‘unreliable’’.
The 115-page report from the English Football Association’s independent panel details the verbal confrontation between Suarez and Evra, a black France defender, during the October 15 English premier League match at Anfield.
Suarez’s defence centred on a claim that the use of the word negro in Uruguay and other parts of Latin America is inoffensive in certain situations. But the panel found that Suarez’s argument was ‘‘unsustainable’’.
Liverpool have 14 days to decide whether to appeal against the ban and £40,000 (NZ$80,000) fine, with both on hold pending the outcome of any challenge.
The report says when Evra asked Suarez during the match why he had been kicked, the striker said in Spanish: ‘‘Porque tu eres negro,’’ which translates as ‘‘because you are black’’.
Evra said he would punch Suarez if he repeated the comment to which Suarez said: ‘‘No hablo con los negros’’ – ‘‘I don’t speak to blacks’’.
The FA called in linguistic experts to assess Suarez’s defence, but they determined that his language ‘‘would be considered racially offensive’’ anywhere.
‘‘Mr Suarez said he pinched Mr Evra’s skin in an attempt to defuse the situation. He also said that his use of the word ‘negro’ to address Mr Evra was conciliatory and friendly. We rejected that evidence,’’ the report said. ‘‘To describe his own behaviour in that way was unsustainable.
‘‘That this was put forward by Mr Suarez was surprising and seriously undermined the reliability of his evidence on other matters.’’