Liverpool won’t appeal eight-match Luis Suarez ban

LIVERPOOL and Luis Suarez have grudgingly accepted the striker’s eight-match ban for racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra.

The Uruguay begins his suspension immediately after the club reviewed the 115-page document from the independent disciplinary commission and decided not to appeal against the sanction and a £40,000 fine. However, they have made clear that this is not an acceptance of culpability and have again criticised the way the Football Association handled the investigation into an incident during the 1-1 draw at Anfield in October.

“It is our strongly held conviction that the Football Association and the panel it selected constructed a highly subjective case against Luis Suarez based on an accusation that was ultimately unsubstantiated,” said a Liverpool statement. “The FA and the panel chose to consistently and methodically accept and embrace arguments leading to a set of conclusions that found Mr Suarez to ‘probably’ be guilty while in the same manner deciding to completely dismiss the testimony that countered their overall suppositions.

“Mr Evra was deemed to be credible in spite of admitting that he himself used insulting and threatening words towards Luis and that his initial charge as to the word used was somehow a mistake. The facts in this case were that an accusation was made, a rebuttal was given and there was video of the match. The remaining facts came from testimony of people who did not corroborate any accusation made by Mr Evra.”

Suarez, meanwhile, insisted: “Never, I repeat never, have I had any racial problem with an individual of a different race or colour to mine.”