Liverpool: The furore surrounding Luis Suarez’s biting of Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic reached 10 Downing Street on Monday night as Prime Minister David Cameron urged the Football Association to make an example of Liverpool’s striker.
The FA formally charged the Uruguay international following his admission he bit his opponent during Sunday’s 2-2 draw at Anfield, making it clear a mandatory three-match ban was insufficient punishment.
It also has the remit to take into consideration Suarez’s past major misdemeanour in English football, the alleged racial abuse towards Manchester United defender Patrice Evra last season, which potentially could extend his suspension.
Liverpool accepted the charge on Tuesday and it is implausible Suarez will play for his club again this season and is more than likely to miss the start of next. They have also taken action against him but issued a statement suggesting they wanted to “work on his discipline” rather than sell him. Suarez was fined two weeks wages, around £250,000, which he requested be donated to the Hillsborough Family Support Group.
Although Ivanovic refused to press charges and appeared to accept the apology of Suarez, the fury on the Serb’s behalf has intensified. The PM’s official spokesman increased the pressure for a tough sanction against the Liverpool player. “It is rightly a matter for the football authorities to consider,” he said.
“As part of their consideration, I think it would be very understandable if they took into account the fact that high-profile players are often role models.”
The FA made it clear it was taking a severe view. With Suarez acknowledging his guilt, he will know the extent of his ban by the end of this week.
“The incident was not seen by the match officials and has therefore been retrospectively reviewed,” read a statement.
“It is alleged that the conduct of Suarez constitutes violent conduct and it is the FA’s contention that the standard punishment of three matches that would otherwise apply is clearly insufficient in these circumstances.
Suarez has until 6pm (BST) on Tuesday, April 23, to respond to the charge, thereafter an Independent Regulatory Commission will be convened this Wednesday.”
It is the second consecutive season Suarez will be hauled before an FA commission as he was banned for eight games last season for the Evra affair. Liverpool have four league matches remaining this season, including the Merseyside derby at Anfield a week on Sunday. Suarez’s ban could be compounded with a Fifa suspension over an alleged punch during a recent international.
Fifa confirmed last night it was still investigating claims Uruguay’s Suarez struck Chile’s Gonzalo Jara during last month’s World Cup qualifier. If charged and found guilty, Suarez could face a minimum three-match ban.
Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre insisted the events of the past 48 hours would have no bearing on Suarez’s future, emphasising a period of rehabilitation as much as punishment. “It affects his future in the sense that we have to work with him on his discipline - but Luis is a very important player to the club,” he said.
“He’s a very popular player with his teammates. He signed a new four-year contract last summer and we’d all love to see him here throughout that contract. He’s a fantastic player, top scorer and everything we’d want in a striker, so there’s no change there. This is more about getting him back on the right track and it’s largely down to Brendan [Rodgers] now to work with him on that side of his character.
“I think the most important thing is that we acted swiftly yesterday. Luis issued his apology and then we spoke with him last night and then again this morning. We’ve taken action to fine Luis for his actions. Brendan has spoken to him and I’ve spoken to him, and Brendan will be working with him further on his discipline.
“You can see when you speak to him how sorry he is about it and he’s certainly shown quite a lot of contrition to us - and as part of that, he’s also asked we donate the fine to the Hillsborough Family Support Group. I think he felt like he let a lot of people down yesterday. We’ll work with Luis - Brendan particularly - on this side of his character in his game.”
Ayre added there had been discussions with Liverpool’s Boston-based owners. “I spoke to them last night and they were happy with the way we were handling the matter,” he said.
The Hillsborough Justice Campaign accused Liverpool of exploiting the tragedy for corporate purposes. The beneficiaries of Suarez’s fine, the separate organisation of the HFSG, welcomed the donation, albeit noting the undesirable circumstances.
