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“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:
Mike Calvin: Evra becoming a liability for Man Utd
Video: Higuain to Chelsea, Man City chase Hazard, Juventus want Suarez
Rob Smyth: Jones earmarked for Man Utd defence but better in midfield
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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