Luis Suarez v Patrice Evra

[Toadboy]

The handshake masks the (yet again - how many clubs have been through this at that shithole?) tunnel violence, Evras pitiful pettiness and Fergusons latest elder statesmen speech.

Where does it rank on his

*defending racist footballer- his own of course
*racist/xenophobic quips
*defence of a man who jumped over the perimeter barrier to assault a fan
*accusations that other teams will throw games to hurt Man United
*attacks on referees and linesmen
*encyclopaedic knowledge of Liverpool FC
*misappropriation of his employers funds
*complicity in defrauding the state of Housing Benefit

I said it at the time, this is can of worms, it never had anything to do with racism. The reason Luis Suarez and Liverpool FC didn't apologise over a misinterpretation from the game at Anfield is because they were told that the investigation was centred on Luis Suarez referring to Patrice Evra as N I G G E R. This was not clarified until 20 days later, by which point it was all over in terms of a meaningful defence.

The player or the club could not appeal the outcome, only the ban. To appeal the ban Suarez would have to show contrition. As Suarez believe Evra has lied and there is no corroboration or evidence to back Evra up, why would he accept he's a racist? Would you?

There is no further route to challenge the FA or it's commission without recourse to the courts. To do that you have to sue the FA, even if you "won" you'd be about 30 points down and have all sorts of punative fines hanging over you.

And who instigated N I G G E R? Go on, one guess.

There will be no line drawn under anything. This is still early days. No one will come out of this with credit apart from within their own factions.

From a Liverpool perspective I want to see some leadership from the clubs executives, they need to stand firmly behind their men or get rid and bend over to Fergusons whims.

I'd call them out, I'd make it clear that whilst the club adhered to the commissions finding and punishment, it rejects it and it's methodology. I'd accuse Alex Ferguson and Patrice Evra of lying. The onus would then be on them to take it further or draw a line under it.

For all the "neutrals" either do some reading, analyse and get involved or shut up. It's embarrassing to see and hear Sky/Man United/shoddy British media being regurgitated parrot fashion.

For football, it needs to sort it's governance out. The FA and Premier League are clearly not fit for purpose when you see the money issues. For them it's all about the product and the brand, it's not about football.