SOCCER:LIVERPOOL'S DECISION to don T-shirts in support of Luis Suarez 24 hours after he was found guilty of racially abusing Patrice Evra was described as "shameful" last night by Paul McGrath, while Alan Hansen, the club's former captain turned television pundit, issued an unreserved apology for describing black players as "coloured" on Match of the Day.
McGrath, the former Republic of Ireland, Manchester United and Aston Villa defender, led widespread condemnation of Liverpool’s increasingly isolated stance over Suarez and claimed he would have thrown the T-shirt to the floor had he been the striker’s team-mate Glen Johnson. The right-back later responded on Twitter: “I will support who I want when I want!!! There are a lot of reasons why I’m standing by Luis Suarez!!!”
Liverpool players and the manager, Kenny Dalglish, all wore the T-shirt, featuring Suarez’s image on the front and his name plus number on the back, before their draw at Wigan Athletic on Wednesday night. The Football Association is not expected to take action over Liverpool’s defiant show of support for the Uruguay international or the extraordinary statement released by the club in the wake of the eight-match ban and €48,000 fine handed to the 24-year-old on Tuesday.
The FA is keen for the findings of the independent commission that found Suarez guilty, led by Paul Goulding QC, to be published as quickly as possible, given the controversial and often uninformed debate that has erupted around the case. Goulding, however, does not work for the FA and the reasons may not be released until after Christmas.
Only when Liverpool have received the commission’s findings will their 14-day period in which to appeal commence.
Liverpool’s pre-match clothing at the DW Stadium has attracted criticism from several black footballers, and McGrath claimed it represented a devastating setback to the accomplishments of anti-racism campaigns. He said: “Maybe Kenny (Dalglish) is trying to make a statement to the FA but I just think it is in bad taste that he sent them out in those T-shirts. It would have been much better for Liverpool Football Club if they had have worn anti-racism shirts.
“It’s about respect. There’s this issue going on about respecting your opponents. It is actually a game. The game itself has gone too big, it’s about winning and the money. The actual element of football being a game has long since gone, it is all about protecting your interest, protecting your best players.
“There are a lot of children that watch these games and to have done what they did last night, doing their warm-up in T-shirts with his smiling face on it, having just been done for a supposedly racist comment to one of his opponents, is shameful for football. It puts the anti-racism campaign back to the beginning as far as I’m concerned.
“If I was in Glen Johnson’s situation, I’d have thrown the shirt to the floor. If that had been someone in my time and I’d heard the comments or I’d even suspected he was guilty – and obviously there has been a tribunal – then I would not wear a T-shirt with his name on it, saying all is well and good here.”
The Blackburn Rovers striker Jason Roberts also thinks the Suarez case transcends sport. He tweeted: “The stance on the Suarez issue from LFC has bemused me – are United going to print Evra shirts now????? Some issues are bigger than football.”
The former Newcastle United defender Olivier Bernard, now an anti-racism campaigner, said: “I really didn’t think it was fine to wear the T-shirts. I can understand the club’s side of it, but in society we can’t accept racism and give support to a player who has used racist words.”
The controversy enveloped Hansen after he twice used the word "coloured" to describe black footballers on Match of the Dayon Wednesday when discussing the current John Terry and Suarez racism cases. The 56-year-old Hansen, the show's long-time pundit, said: "I unreservedly apologise for any offence caused – this was never my intention and I deeply regret the use of the word."
