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Anglian Football Association (FA) suspended striker Luis Suarez for insulting defender Patrice Evra for eight games due to racist remarks. Since no one heard the argument, the decision was made relying on the testimony of the victim, although Evra admitted to not considering his opponent a racist and did not deny using Spanish insults himself.
For the incident on October 15th, the 24-year-old Uruguayan also has to pay a fine of 48,000 euros. However, an appeal can be submitted within two weeks, and the punishment will only take effect after it is reviewed.
According to Evra, he was insulted at least ten times, but Suarez denied his guilt. The commission's verdict was relentless - it was stated that the striker appealed to his opponent's "ethnic origin and race."
"This day is difficult and very painful for me. Thank you for the support," Suarez wrote on one of the social networks.
The footballer is also defended in a press release by "Liverpool": "No one on the field, including Evra's teammates and referees, heard the conversation for which Suarez has been punished. It seems that the decision to punish the footballer was made even before he was questioned at the beginning of November. During the hearings, we did not hear anything that would have cast doubt on Suarez's innocence, so we will support him in defending himself."
And it is added: "Evra himself stated in his statement that he did not think Suarez was a racist and admitted to using Spanish insults in the argument, so we are waiting for when he will be punished for it. In addition, Luis comes from a mixed family, his grandfather was black. The club unequivocally condemns any racism, but in this case, there is no convincing evidence."
Evra and Suarez conflict:
[img]http://h4.abload.de/img/suarezlq5f.gif[/img]
