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13Feb

“This is very much a forced apology” from Suarez

Instead of Manchester United and Liverpool putting their disagreements behind them, Saturday’s 2-1 victory to Man Utd saw relations soured to new levels. Luis Suarez refused to shake the hand of Patrice Evra, a player he racially abused. There was a half-time altercation between the players, Evra taunted Suarez at the end, Sir Alex Ferguson claimed Suarez was a “disgrace” and that Liverpool should sell him, while Kenny Dalglish lost his rag in a post-match interview.

Apologies from Suarez and Dalglish for their part in Saturday’s event followed on Sunday, most likely after the intervention of the club’s owners, Fenway Sports Group. But the Daily Express’ Ian Ridley believes both apologies were “forced” and expects Suarez to be already thinking about leaving Liverpool.

“Whether [or not] Liverpool will get rid of him, I think Suarez will consider his future. ‘Do I really want to be in this culture? I’ve got this grief’,” Ian explains. “I don’t think he’s repentant. Reading between the lines I think this is very much a forced apology. Same with Dalglish, it’s [through] very gritted teeth. What we have here is a club between two schools. You’ve got the Kenny Dalglish of the old era who’s trying to circle the wagons and make Liverpool the club of the force and culture that Merseyside is used to. And you’ve got new American owners who are trying to globalise the brand and make the most of it commercially. It’s an uneasy mixture at the moment.”

The People’s Janine Self agrees with Ian about the apologies being insincere and expects Liverpool’s owners to be concerned about the club’s latest poor relations exercise. “I would be very worried if I were Liverpool’s owners because it’s been like a runaway train these last few weeks,” she says. “I think the apologies were forced. I don’t think Suarez meant it. Let’s remember, a week ago Suarez promised Dalglish he’d go and shake Evra’s hand and then he didn’t.”

But not everyone on the panel considers Liverpool deserving of more criticism. “I understand what both Janine and Ian are saying, but I think that both apologies were unequivocal,” says The Daily Telegraph’s Jason Burt. “There is no qualification in them, they did apologise. [Now] I think they did apologise because of the intervention of the owners. But I think we have to give them a little bit of credit for the fulsomeness of the apologies and hopefully try and move on from here. And hopefully Sir Alex Ferguson is able to as well.”

Watch the full video discussion by clicking on the image play button above

Related articles:

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Video: Higuain to Chelsea, Man City chase Hazard, Juventus want Suarez

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Iain Macintosh: Why Dalglish is still Liverpool’s best hope of glory  

Fanzone: Where does Steve Gerrard’s positional future lie?

Fanzone: How I became a fan of Manchester United 

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  • Tom

    I think its important to note that the apologies were for not shaking hands, not for the initial issue which Suarez was found guilty of, namely the use of racial abuse.  That seems to have been lost in this latest fiasco.  The problem was (and still is) that the club and Suarez actually don’t seem to get that he did anything wrong.  Until Evra gets an apology then I don’t believe LFC should get any credit for these latest apologies.  Too little too late.

  • SuaRed

    He served his ban! end of…Move on!!!

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_VZBXWIGZDLI3W6CWI42SCFDMRI stu

    Tom, Suarez has already issued an apology for the race incident, Suarez also issued an apology yesterday for not shaking hands. move on.

  • Anonymous

    Lius Suarez. You were spot on. Why shake hands if you dont mean it?
    Manure got the FA in their pockets. Why would any sane man shake hands with another insane, manipulative idiot.

  • Margus12

    Of course it’s a false apology.  Someone calls you a South American or Latino so and so and you respond with you black so and so and they’re the victim and you’re the devil.  Would you apologise?  It appears that the only racist insults that are considered real are those against black people.  Makes me feel ashamed at times.  Not saying Suarez is innocent but he’s no more innocent or guilty than Evra.  Evra stated that he knew Suarez wasn’t a racist.  How?  He’s just been racially insulted by him, how can he possibley know that Suarez isn’t racist?  Because he knew that Suarez was only responding to what he called him. Suarez has gone up so much in my estimation and i love him even more than i did before. 

  • Anonymous

    Jason Burt is talking crap. Suarez apologized to Liverpool, not Evra. This is the same clown who claimed before the hearing that whoever came out the guilty party should apologize to the other. That apology has of course been conspicuous by its absence.Same goes for Liverpool FC. They ignored FA instructions to remain silent pending the hearing and went out of their way to denigrate Evra, even to the extent of libeling him by claiming he had a track record for making allegations of racism, which everyone outside of Liverpool considered disgraceful. One of the sicker aspects to all this is how many Liverpool supporters (look at comments from people like rubym as an example) can’t get past their sick tribalism to see how much this whole issue is destroying the club’s fine reputation. To these people it’s all just one big conspiracy by the FA, the media, United, etc to attack their beloved football club. The fact that the rest of the world sees it differently only adds fuel to their paranoia, rather than making them open their eyes to see past the fact that this issue isn’t about football, but something much bigger. I guarantee you, if this didn’t involve a United player things would be different, but that’s what envy and bitter resentment at seeing Liverpool put in the shade by United for over two decades will do to people. Funny how those at Anfield forget that United supporters also had to endure a quarter century between drinks as far as the domestic championship is concerned, yet they handled the situation with far more grace than Liverpool’s supporters have ever shown.

  • Margus12

    Usual Utd nonesense.  How does 3 European Cups put 5 European cups in ths shade?  The problem is you and other Utd supporters think the domestic championship is our be and end all, it isn’t.  I’ve never seen a Liverpool player hold up 18 fingers when winding you lot up.  If anything is our be and end all it’s the European Cup but you lot don’t want to talk about that.  Wonder Why?

  • Cathylee

    This show he is hot fit to become pro footballer. How much is liverpool paying his wages to play as a pro at millions of viewer????? 

  • Cathylee

     Why Kenny ask FA and ManUtd for help??? That y u guys r moron.

  • Cathylee

     U’ll love him even more after he left your club.

  • Margus12

    There’s been an agenda to try and get Suarez out of our club for a while.  Totally made up transer gossip like Real Madrid preparing a January move for him or Juventus want him to replace Del Piero.  Culminating in a manager from a rival club stating that Suarez should never play for liverpool again.  Thankfully Kenny’s been wise to it from the jump.  That’s why he went overboard in his support of Suarez.  Kenny is not stupid.  They don’t call him a canny scot for nothing.  He knows he’s gone way overboard with his support but it was all designed to say to Luis ‘forget everything going on outside of this club.  We love you and the fans love you’.  To his credit Suarez appears to have been on the same page.  Hence his repeated tweets about how he hopes to stay at Liverpool even beyond the 4 years left on his contract.  How amazing the fans are and how he now understands what ‘You’ll never walk alone’ means.

  • Margus12

    I can’t make head or tail of what you’re trying to say in this message!

  • Paulfrank

    Margus12 I think it’s time u took ur medication! U clearly have mental health problems which is probably why u relate to suarez so well.

  • Margus12

    I can’t adequately reply to your message as it doesn’t deal with any of the issues i raised.  It’s just a childish personal attack.

  • Anonymous

    Very true Tom.  Too little too late.

  • Anonymous

    It is idiots like you rubyrm who just do not understand.  Your comments make certain ascertions which put you in the same bracket as Luis Suarez who achieved nothing except to blacken Liverpool F.C’s already tarnished reputation.

  • Anonymous

    He had no option, other than to appeal, but top serve his 8 game ban.  He, Suaez, may have apologised about not shaking hands with Evra, but where is the apology for his racist comment, which he admitted making?  Another blind Liverpool, I was going to say fan or supporter, but I do not believe you are either.  You are just an ill informed agitater.

  • Anonymous

    Duh.

  • Anonymous

    Too much I warrant!

  • Anonymous

    Oh so very, very true timbo59.  An excellent response to Jason Burt.

  • Anonymous

    NINETEEN against our 18.  Are we such idiots to even give credence to your diatribe.  In days past, which you like to refer to, the only team to represent our country were the LEAGUE or PREMIER LEAGUE CHAMPIONS or the current holders.  I’d be interested to know how many time we won the European or UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE as the actual champions or holders?  Was it not the fault of our team that English clubs were banned from competing in the European Cup.  Lets not forget we were the guilty party and a lot of English football fans do not forget that Man UTD as well as other teams suffered because of it.

  • Anonymous

    Maybe Evra by his statement, that he knew Luis was not a racist, was an attempt by him to diffuse the situation?  Who knows except Evra and who is the only person who knows if Luis is a racist except Luis Suarez?

  • Anonymous

    Ho hum, boring comments based on the belief of a biased Liverpool ? follower.

  • Anonymous

    I do not recall Luis apologising to Evra for his racist remarks.  Perhaps you can direct me, and others to where we can view an official statement of same, perhaps on out cliub website.  Perhaps I missed it?

  • Anonymous

    By the way Rubyrm, it is LUIS Suarez, NOT Lius Suarez.

  • guest

    Alex Ferguson Should Apologise aswell for the comments he made at the end
      full stop

  • Margus12

    I don’t understand the point you’re making.  My point was that league championships are not the achievement that we have traditionally been most proud of.  Even when we were 4, 5, or 6 championships ahead of Utd, i never saw a Liverpool player taunt their fans about it.  The thing that we taunt them about is our European Cup wins.  However, to their supporters, many of whom have waited years to have something to gloat over us about, their 19th title means that they have put us in the shade and that they are now England’s most successful club.  My point is they are’nt.
    I don’t remember mentioning this but with regard to qualifying as champions or not, it would be nice to always qualify as champions but as long as you meet the qualifying criteria, it doesn’t really matter.
    Again i didn;t mention English clubs being banned from Europe but as you do, i’ll address it.  Yes we were responsible for having English clubs banned from europe and yes other teams suffered because of it.  It’s a dark episode in our history and one in which we’ve make great strides from.  Not only Liverpool but all English clubs.  You don;t see scenes like we saw in Egypt in English football grounds anymore. 

  • Margus12

    BredRed, i don’t know where you’re from but if someone insulted your race, culture or heritage (as Evra admitted insulting Suarez’s) and you turned round and insulted theirs (as Suarez admitted insulting Evra’s) wouldn’t you feel justified?  If you subsequently received a substantial punishment and were villified across the globe, whilst the person who insulted you was held up as an example of dignity, would you apologise to them if they didn’t apologise to you?.   

  • Margus12

    Attempting to diffuse a situation that he exploded in the first place?  If the only person who knows if Suarez is a racist is Suarez, why would Evra then say he knows Suarez isn’t a racist?  Try and keep up!

  • Margus12

    I take it by your response that you’ve got no issues with the arguments i made. Thanks

  • Margus12

    We also don’t remember Evra apologising to Suarez or his racist remarks.Unless you can direct me, and others, to where we can view an official statement of same.

  • Margus12

    Our reputation is so tarnished that we’ve just signed the 2nd largest kit deal in football history and have a shirt sponsorship deal which is the largest in the country.  Long may our name be blackened. 

  • Anonymous

    BRITISH & PROUD OF IT!

  • Anonymous

    Oh you must be feeling so happy backing a bigot.  Good As You ?

  • Margus12

    Who the hell do you support?  ‘Was it not the fault of our team…

  • Anonymous

    As famously quoted by one our past managers, FACTS, AND THAT IS A FACT!

  • Anonymous

    Nice one CathyLee and oh so true.  I for one, Bred Red, would welcome him getting the boot.  We did better during his 8 weeks ‘holiday’ than we did before, and that’s a fact!

  • Anonymous

    I never lower myself to enter into reparte’ with biased individuals who cannot see past therir own noses or accept the truth as clearly evidenced in the media AND by the media releases of Suarez, Dalglish & Liverpoool F.C’s owners.

  • Anonymous

    Ho Paulfrank, I couldn’t agree more.  Our Margus12 (Is that her/his age?) appears to have run out of valium.

  • Anonymous

    He had nothing to apologise about you ignoramous.  Are you just agitating as it appears you know nowt la, absolutely nowt about this situation.  It is we who must move on by accepting Luis did wrong.  FULL STOP. 

  • Margus12

    Tom are you aware that Evra admitted insulting Suarez’s race, culture or heritage in the most disgusting fashion? Suarez responded in kind and insulted Evra’s race, culture or heritage in a similarly disgusting fashion.  Suarez doesn’t believe that he’s innocent, just no more innocent or guilty than Evra.  What part of this are you having trouble understanding?  Suarez and Liverpool can’t get their heads round the fact that they behaved the same but weren’t punished the same.

  • Margus12

    I refer you to my comments to Tom.  I should be charging for all this tuition!

  • Margus12

    So if a black guy called you a celtic so and so or a white something or other and you responded by calling them a black whatever, wouldn’t you feel you were well within your rights?

  • Anonymous

    Margus, where is the evidence to back up your B.S claims.  Were you there?  You appear to be a know all that knows nothing whilst attempting to appear knowlegable, I assure you that you are not!  You speak as if you are talking for ALL Reds supporters, you are not!  Why don’t you go and take your meds, there’s a good girl and go to bed and read your comic’s.

  • Anonymous

    Well blow me down, we have a superior being in our presence.  Are we supposed to address you by a title, like Dr or Dame so and so?  Go get a life you are a pompous trumped up little fart.  Now off to bed girlie, take your medicine and cuddle up to your dollie.  Oh and don’t forget to say your prayers. 

  • Anonymous

    Eighteen fingers, SHIT, I only have 8 fingers and 2 thumbs. So……..  Your maths leave a lot to be desired Missy. That is a maximum of 10 including the thumbs, I guess United supporters are so lucky with 19 ‘total’ fingers. WOW!!!

  • Margus12

    That’s the point, he’s not a bigot.  Even Evra says so!  You can call someone a black so and so and not be a racist.  Maybe they’ve said something hurtful to you and you lash out with something that you think they will find hurtful.  There are plenty of men who have used the ‘N’ word who are happy for their daughters to marry a black guy.  On the other hand there are plenty or people who never use racial slurs and who are always politte to black people but would never countenance any of their children marrying a black person.  Whose the racist?

  • Margus12

    Again, who the hell do you support?

  • Margus12

    No i wasn’t there but they did give evidence to a tribunal, where Evra admitted to insulting Suarez in the most objectionable of terms.  Thanks for thinking i’m knowledgable.  There’s a d in that word by the way.

  • Margus12

    You always know when you’ve won an argument because the other person always resorts to insults. Thanks

  • Margus12

    How would you signal 20 with your hands?  Well you would do the same for 18 but with two less digits showing.

  • Margus12

    Truth and media?  Isn’t that an oxymoron?

  • Margus12

    If the club truly believed that Suarez did wrong they wouldn’t have issued such a strongly worded statement.  They would also have demanded that he apologise to Evra and fined him.  They did neither.  All they did was issue a hollow apology which Suarez probably knew nothing about until he saw it on Sky News.

  • Margus12

    You’re not a Liverpool supporter! I would bet my life on it.  If you can’t even represent yourself honestly, what are you doing on here?  Is that your thing?  You pretend to support a club, then have digs at that club and act as if they were coming from a genuine supporter whose only got the good of the club at heart.  Now that really is pathetic!

  • Margus12

    Type in ‘vindication does not come without a downside for Patrice Evra’ and it wil take you to a story by Daniel Taylor (21/12/11).  In it he states that what is now known is that Evra says something along the lines of ‘don’t touch me, you South American’.  Now the fact that Liverpool say Evra insulted Suarez in the most objectionable of terms, suggests that there was an insult after the word ’American’.  It’s easy really.  The information is out there, if you care to look for it.  I’m sorry that my knowledge and intellect belittles you so.  There’s nothing i can do about that. 

  • Anonymous

    YES, Manure’s image is all colorful. Failed dope test drug addict, shagging sister in law player and a
    liar who walked out of his country in the world cup. But you are MU. untouchable.

    Rubyrm

  • Paulfrank

    Margus12, I can assure u I wasn’t being childish or attacking u! This is a genuine concern for ur well being! Have u been hearing voices or visited ur GP recently? If u feel u need help & the world is against u there is help out there. Try the NHS mental health helpline on 03005000927 they MIGHT be able to help u with ur issues!

  • Francis

    I don’t think Suarez really meant his apologies because he still did same racial celebration after scoring the goal at Old Trafford. If you watch the replay very well, you could see him (Suarez) kissing his skin which is another form of saying i love my skin than your negro skin. How matter how people see it, Suarez is a bloody racist and should be banned.

  • Adam

    I feel sorry for you. How on earth are you so naive? I agree with the guy giving you the NHS helpline number, should be able to help you with your issues.

  • Margus12

    Instead of pointless insults, why not explain why i’m naive.  Usually when people don’t have an argument to make, they throw insults.

  • Margus12

    Make an argument!  You disagree with what i said because..
    If we were in a court of law you couldn’t just say the other lawyer needs help, so i rest my case.  Take a little time to think and try and make a convincing argument.  Once you start insulting me it shows that you are struggling to make an argument.

  • Margus12

    Interesting that you know the mental health helpline number by heart!

  • Margus12

    How do you know that his goal celebration means i love my skin more than your negro skin?  It’s a celebration that he’s been doing, at least, since he arrived at Liverpool.

  • Santi2c

    Suarez said nothing wrong.  Negro=mate.  They were speaking in spanish.  If two Englishmen are talking in Germany and one says to the other “I want to give you a gift”, Germans aren’t allowed to take out the word ‘gift’ (which means poison in german) and decide to be upset.  The only reason Evra got upset is because he wanted to.  Don’t forget that he originally reported that he was called a ‘ni**er’ , which is later retracted.  So he wasn’t even offended originally by the word negro, he just knew he could create a stir, by replacing the word ni**er with negro.

  • Paulfrank

    There’s no other arguement that can be made I’m afraid. It seems that the whole world thinks that suarez & Liverpool have been wrong in this case so what more can I add? To use ur court case example they are guilty as charged & 99% of the population agrees. If that doesn’t sway u then nothing will. Unfortunately ur blind to it all & like I said obviously need help! At least give them a ring, i went through all the effort of finding that number on google!

  • Margus12

    That’s the point i’m trying to make.  Forget what the whole world thinks.  Look at the evidence and decide for yourself.  Don’t just follow the herd.  If after looking at the evidence you still believe that Suarez behaved worse than Evra, then we’ll just agree to disagree.  This is a forum for discussion, there’s no need to make it personal.  The whole world is never going to agree to the same thing, that’s what makes it interesting.
    I’m in a generous mood.  I’ll accept that you found the number on the internet.  Honest i will.

  • Paulfrank

    For the first time I agree with u, there are always a very small minority who will look at the evidence & get it very wrong due to their attitudes & biase! Some people still think Hitler was a good bloke despite the evidence against him but like u said it makes the world more interesting! I’m not following the herd I’m just interpreting the evidence like almost every other sane person out there! But we’ll agree to disagree!

  • Margus12

    Ok, let’s look at the evidence together.  Do you accept that Evra said ‘don’t touch me,you South American …’?  We don’t know what the insult after ‘American’ was but Liverpool say it was the most ojectionable of terms.  The most objectional of terms i can think to place after the word ‘American’ is CU..!  It is also a common word in football.  It’s what John Terrry is alleged to have called Anton Ferdinand.  If you can think of a more objectionable term, i’d be happy to go with that.  
    You also have to remember that calling someone a South American cu.. does not just mean that they are a cu.. from South America. When said in such a derogatory way, it means you’re a cu.. and so are all South Americans. 
    So Suarez’s race, culture and heritage is insulted.  I say race because South American is a race, unlike, for example, French, which is a nationality.   
    However, what Suarez doesn’t realise is that in the western world you can’t say anything about black people, even if they’ve said someting about you.  Because of history, a racial insult against a black person is seen as more serious than any other racial insult.  So Suarez is charged.  The Tribunal state that they found him guilty because he made reference to Evra’s colour.  Therefore saying that to insult a person’s colour is more serious than insulting their race or culture.  However, South Americans, Europeans, Antipodians and Asians rarely have their colour insulted.  It’s usually their race or culture that’s targeted.  Whereas with black people it’s usually always their colour.
    To my mind they both behaved as badly as each other because, i would guess that, to Suarez, being called a South American cu.. would be MORE offensive than being called a light brown cu.. and calling Evra a Frech cu.. wouldn’t seem as hurtful as calling him a black one.  Two disgusting acts of behaviour but two very different outcomes.  One is severely punished and castigated by all and sundry, while the other isn’t even reprimaned.  Yet some people still believe that this matter isn’t truly over until Suarez apologises to Evra.  What do you think?       

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