My Take On ‘Racist’ Suarez Allegations

Patrice Evra pushed away Luis Suarez with visible contempt. It had been a frustrating game for Manchester United at Anfield, so perhaps the atmosphere and pressure had got to United’s captain. If only it had. Instead, according to the French left back, his attitude was more in disgust towards the Uruguayan attacker, with Suarez apparently making vile, racist remarks, repeated “more than ten times” at Evra in an attempt to wind him up.

Cheating is one thing – something Suarez is known for, thanks to his World Cup hand ball and constant dramatic dives all over the football pitch. However, racism is something completely different, and utterly abhorrent. He has only been in the Premier League for a short time, but has already managed to turn himself into a hate figure for many. If Evra’s accusations are proved to be correct, it will do nothing for his popularity.

Evra spoke to French TV Channel Canal Plus after the game against Liverpool which ended in a 1 – 1 draw. He was able to explain why he was so furious with Suarez during the game which resulted in the United man being yellow carded for his protests against the offending player. The United captain said:

“I was very upset. In 2011 you can’t say things like this. He knows what he said, the ref knows it, it will come out.”

“I won’t repeat what he said, but it was a racist word, and he said it more than ten times. He tried to wind me up. I won’t make a huge deal out of it, but it’s very upsetting and disappointing.”

Of course, allegations such as these will result in serious consequences for Suarez if they are proven to be true, and the FA have launched an investigation into the incident which is supposed to have occurred around the hour mark in the game. A Statement read:

“The Football Association have this evening been made aware of an incident that is alleged to have occurred during the Liverpool versus Manchester United fixture at Anfield today.”

“Referee Andre Marriner was made aware of an allegation at the end of the fixture and subsequently reported this to the FA. The FA will now begin making enquiries into the matter.”

Naturally, Liverpool immediately spoke to Suarez about the incident after finding out about the accusations after the game, with the club releasing the following:

“We have since checked with Luis Suarez and he categorically denies using any language that could be interpreted in that way.”