Liverpool-Man U Rivalry Gone a Notch Higher with Suarez’s 8-Match Ban

“Today is a very difficult and painful day for both me and my family. Thanks for all the support, I’ll keep working!” Those were the words that Liverpool forward Luis Suarez tweeted immediately after hearing he had been handed an eight-match ban and fined £40,000 by the Football Association after being found guilty for racial remarks against Patrice Evra.

Speaking to a French TV after the Premier League clash between the two clubs at Anfield on October 15, Evra claimed he was racially abused by the Uruguayan on no less than 10 occasions prompting him to report the matter to the FA.

The charge has elicited fuming reactions from the club and its fans. The club issued a full-bodied statement in defence of their star striker, saying among others, “It appears to us that the FA were determined to bring charges against Luis Suarez, even before interviewing him at the beginning of November.”

"Nothing we have heard in the course of the hearing has changed our view that Luis Suarez is innocent of the charges brought against him and we will provide Luis with whatever support he now needs to clear his name.

"We would also like to know when the FA intend to charge Patrice Evra with making abusive remarks to an opponent after he admitted himself in his evidence to insulting Luis Suarez in Spanish in the most objectionable of terms.  Luis, to his credit, actually told the FA he had not heard the insult."

You can read the full official Liverpool FC statement here.

Liverpool have 14 days from the day they receive the Football Association’s statement to appeal after which the ban will take effect.

The decision by the FA-appointed three-man Independent Regulatory Commission to hand Suarez one of the biggest punishments in the history of the English game has shocked many of the club’s fans. The Merseyside club’s manager Kenny Dalglish issued his message of support for the player tweeting: "Very disappointed with today's verdict. This is a time when Luis needs our support. Let's not let him walk alone."

The Uruguayan official tweeter page @luis16suarez is generating countless support messages. The buzz on the internet slaying the FA, labeled “Fergie Association” and Evra is unprecedented.

 

Methinks that the decision has taken the whole rivalry between the two clubs to a whole new level. The two clubs are not only the most successful clubs in England but are fierce rivals, thanks to that “knock off the perch” talk.

 

Should the ban be effected, Suarez will miss, among others, three crunch matches against Manchester City, two in the Carling Cup and one in the Premier league. However, he should be available on February 11 when Liverpool travel to Old Trafford to face Manchester United in the premier league. However, the two clubs could also meet in the FA Cup should the Red Devils United sail past city Rivals Manchester City in and then they are drawn together. 

 

The ban will definitely send Liverpool shopping for a marquee striker in January. It will also give Andy Caroll the chance to prove that he belongs at Anfield. However, bringing the Geordie into the team will also affect how Liverpool play, thanks to his aerial abilities.

 

The next few weeks could be so interesting at Anfield. But the Reds-Red Devils rivalry just got a notch higher. Hey, Evra, you would better not go shopping in Merseyside.

 

And That’s thesteifmastertake!!