Liverpool fury at £40,000 fine and eight-match ban for Suarez

LIVERPOOL striker Luis Suarez has been hit with one of the heaviest punishments in the history of English football after being found guilty of racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra. The Uruguay star has been banned for eight matches and fined £40,000 by an independent Football Association disciplinary panel. He has 14 days in which to appeal.

That the 24-year-old South American will do so is certain. His club reacted with fury to the punishment, releasing a statement on its website in which they called the ban "extraordinary" and alleged that "the FA were determined to bring charges against Luis Suarez, even before interviewing him at the beginning of November".

The incident occurred when Suarez and Evra squared up to one another during October's Premier League clash between the two clubs. Suarez admitted that he called Evra a "negro" in response to being addressed by the Frenchman as a "South American". Suarez's main defence rested on the interpretation of "negro", a word that in his native land is less pejorative than in Western Europe.

But the FA disciplinary panel, led by Paul Goulding QC, ignored Suarez's defence, as they did the fact that there were no witnesses to the incident, and therefore no one to confirm Evra's allegation that Suarez said the word "negro" 10 times, a claim the Liverpool forward vehemently denies.

Suarez took to Twitter last night to express his feelings at the outcome of the hearing, saying: "Today is a very difficult and painful day for both me and my family. Thanks for all the support, I'll keep working!"

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish also used the social networking site to vent his anger at the punishment, tweeting: "Very disappointed with today's verdict. This is a time when Luis needs our support. Let's not let him walk alone."

But it was in the statement released by Liverpool that the club articulated its thoughts on the punishment. "We find it extraordinary Luis can be found guilty on the word of Patrice Evra alone when no one else on the field of play... heard the alleged conversation," ran the statement. The club condemned any form of racism but said it was their belief Suarez "did not commit any racist act".

The statement also called into question the credibility of Patrice Evra's testimony, noting that the United defender has previously made "unfounded accusations" of racial abuse. Liverpool have also demanded to "know when the FA intend to charge Evra with making abusive remarks to an opponent after he admitted himself in his evidence to insulting Luis Suarez in Spanish in the most objectionable of terms".

However, Gordon Taylor, chief executive of the Professional Footballers Association, welcomed the verdict saying: "It's a strong statement, especially after the comments from FIFA president Sepp Blatter when he said racism was not a problem. For England, it sends a message to the world that we take racism seriously."

The trouble is, there are many in Liverpool who believe the FA takes racism more seriously than it does justice. ·