Billed as the biggest game, and turned out to be a total let down. Not many talking points, except Giggs making a mess of the free-kick, and a canny shot by young Jordan near the end. But the one point that has come out is Suarez (who i consider the best player in the Prem), this time not for cheating or diving, but racism. How do they expect to stamp it out in the stands, if it's happening on the pitch, (apparently, not proven yet). Luis Suarez is to be the subject of a Football Association investigation into allegations the Liverpool striker racially abused Manchester United defender Patrice Evra. The United captain for Saturday's 1-1 draw at Anfield is reported to have told media in his native France that Suarez directed insults at him during the match. And it has since been confirmed the FA is examining the claims after referee Andre Marriner was also made aware of them. A statement late on Saturday night 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." A Liverpool spokesman said that Uruguay international Suarez has "categorically denied'' the allegation. But Evra told French media that the Liverpool No.7 had been trying "to try to wind me up" and that "there are cameras, you can see him say a certain word to me at least 10 times. There is no place for that in 2011." .
Evra did look pretty pissed off in the second half and ended up getting booked as he was so wound up. If this story has any truth in it whatsoever Suarez should get the book thrown at him just like any football supporter would.
I'm all for being innocent until proven guilty, so I will listen with interest to see what comes out in the coming days..
If it is true I'd have him banned for the rest of the season. There's just no place for this in the modern world.
Am I alone in thinking all this sort of thing just gets blown out of all sense of proportion and reason these days? I'm not condoning racism and in fact having lived through the abusive 70's and 80's, I dont want a return to those days but in the 2010's its a completely different time and atmosphere. The level of racism is minuscule in comparison now and black footballers are the stars of the EPL AND world football these days. We even have a black President of the most powerful nation in the planet now so the sense of inferiority once felt by certain ethnic groups towards another one, is surely massively diminished. Black movie stars and musicians are some of the most loved and respected in the world and thats a great thing but with that new status and freedom comes the responsibility to not get too over hyped about individual comments and actions. Rise above the bigots and racists (who are a minority) and ridicule them but dont get all hot and steamy about it. If Suarez has made a gesture or said something in the heat of competitive battle, it shows him up for what he is and Evra, one of the most respected and highly paid stars of the English game, should be big enough to laugh at him and embarrass him and not get would up and booked. Suarez is a great footballer but I am slowly getting tired of his antics of diving and falling over when a strong wind blows, a trait I could level at a lot of South American footballers to be honest but that would be racist - wouldnt it?
As bad as it is, what about this incident, ok at a lower level, but still worse. Redditch United have cancelled the registration of Josh McKenzie after he struck a referee, leading to the abandonment of their match against Chesham United. The player, who had scored two goals in his last two games, reacted badly to conceding a penalty. The club said he hit the official, who immediately ended the Southern Premier Division fixture. McKenzie was arrested and cautioned at the local police station. Redditch said on their website they were "outraged" by the incident. Chairman Chris Swan told BBC Sport: "I couldn't believe my eyes. The referee stood there for a second and then he just went down. "It was just astounding. We had to get Josh off as quickly as possible and get him into the changing rooms because he was obviously very heated." The game was called off with Chesham leading 1-0 and Swan had no qualms with the decision. "I'll go with whatever the referee says," Swan added. "If the referee wanted to carry on playing or to abandon it, that's his call. "In fairness, he had been through what must have been a very traumatic incident. "He [McKenzie] was not on the team bus going back. I've just been to the police station to drop off some money so he can get home. But that's it. "There's just no way that he will have anything to do with Redditch United ever again." A statement on the club's website said: "We pride ourselves on fair play and will not tolerate this kind of behaviour. The team has worked very hard over the past few weeks and we will not let this one individual tarnish the reputation of our much-loved club
Cestria...I agree with you to a certain extent, however, It is my opinion that the racism that existed in this country in the 70's and 80's is still very-much there, and it is only the fact that it is now a crime that keeps it in the background. I'm sure that we all hear and see the racist jokes in the pubs, clubs and on text messages etc, and it is for this reason that I believe that there is a need to be constantly on guard against it.
Mere allegations of racism often turns out to be much more damaging than any actual incidents (if any really occur). Whether there is any truth in it or not, the question will always remain, thus sullying Suarezs reputation. If Suarez didn't act racistly towards Evra, his integrity will have been dragged through the mud. This can't be undone. Race can't be controlled but character can be, and in this day and age, should the measure of a man not be through his actions not the colour of his skin? Whoever is in the wrong deserves as much as the other if they were guilty. [On a side note, would I be not mistaken if Evra has a history of playing the race car?]
This I most certainly agree with...Allegations should not be made puplic end of story...This is especially true when it comes to rape, where people's lives have been ruined, only for the allegations to be later found to be totally false.
