Rutashubanyuma
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[h=1]'Composed' Patrice Evra taken at his word in race row with Luis Suárez[/h] The FA's report shows that in a row between two men, the one from Manchester United was deemed to be telling the truth
- Sachin Nakrani
- guardian.co.uk, Saturday 31 December 2011 21.58 GMT
- Article history
The 115-page report covering the racism row between Luis Suárez and Patrice Evra, and which was released by the Football Association on Saturday, is by far the longest and most detailed of its kind. This is largely because of the complexities of the case, which sparked into life in the aftermath of Liverpool's 1-1 draw with Manchester United at Anfield on 15 October and took the appointed three-man independent commission two months to resolve.
What the report shows is that in deciding to ban Suárez for eight matches and fine the player £40,000 for racially abusing Evra, the panel judged that in a row which that boiled down to one man's word against another, it was Evra who was telling the truth. The report states "this is not simply a case of one person's word against another" but goes on to describe the United full-back as "calm, composed and clear", while Suárez is labelled "unreliable" and "inconsistent". He is deemed to have called Evra a "negro" seven times and, having consulted linguistic experts, Suárez's assertion that he spoke to Evra in a "conciliatory and friendly" manner is rejected.
The panel concluded "it did not contend Mr Suárez acted as he did because he is a racist", but, overall as can be seen from the extracts below, its verdict is damning of the Uruguayan and leaves little scope for a successful appeal.
[h=2]What Evra said happened[/h]Mr Evra asked Mr Suárez why he had kicked him, referring to the foul five minutes previously. Mr Suárez replied "Porque tu eres negro", meaning "Because you are black". Mr Evra then said to Mr Suárez "Say it to me again, I'm going to punch you". Mr Suárez replied "No hablo con los negros", meaning "I don't speak to blacks". Mr Evra continued by saying he was going to punch Mr Suárez. Mr Suárez replied "Dale, negro, negro, negro", which meant "Okay, blackie, blackie, blackie". As Mr Suarez said this, he reached out to touch Mr Evra's arm, gesturing at his skin. When the referee blew his whistle and called the players over to him in the goalmouth, Mr Evra said to the referee "Ref, ref, he just called me a ****ing black."
[h=2]What Suárez said happened[/h]Mr Suárez agreed with Mr Evra that they spoke to each other in Spanish. When Mr Evra asked why he had kicked him, Mr Suárez replied that it was a normal foul and shrugged his shoulders. Mr Evra then said that he was going to kick Mr Suárez, to which Mr Suárez told him to shut up. According to Mr Suárez, at no point did he use the word "negro" [during their first exchange]. Mr Evra spoke to Mr Suárez and said [in English] "Don't touch me, South American." Mr Suárez replied "Por que, negro?" He says that he used the word "negro" in a way with which he was familiar from his upbringing in Uruguay. Mr Suárez claimed it is used as a friendly form of address to people seen as black or brown skinned. Thus, it meant "Why, black?" [In his own witness statement, Suárez added: "my wife calls me negro in an affectionate way."
[h=2]The linguistic issue[/h]We received expert evidence as to the use of the word "negro" in Uruguayand other areas of Latin America. It is often used as a noun to address people, whether family, friends or passers-by, and is widely seen as inoffensive. It is inoffensive when its use implies a sense of rapport or the attempt to create such rapport. However, if it were used, for example, with a sneer, then it might carry negative connotations. The Spanish language experts told us that if Mr Suárez said the things Mr Evra alleged, they would be considered racially offensive in Uruguay and other regions of Latin America.
[h=2]Commissions' character assessments[/h]Mr Evra was a credible witness. He gave his evidence in a calm, composed and clear way. It was, for the most part, consistent. Mr Suárez's evidence was unreliable. It was, in part, inconsistent with the contemporaneous evidence, especially the video footage. For example, Mr Suárez said that he pinched Mr Evra's skin in an attempt to defuse the situation. He also said that his use of the word "negro" to address Mr Evra was conciliatory and friendly. We rejected that evidence. To describe his own behaviour in that way was unsustainable and simply incredible given that the players were engaged in an acrimonious argument. That this was put forward by Mr Suárez was surprising and seriously undermined the reliability of his evidence on other matters.
[h=2]Suárez's seven sins[/h]Mr Suárez fouled Mr Evra in the 58th minute of the game. In the 63rd minute, Mr Evra challenged Mr Suárez about the foul. Mr Evra used an offensive phrase, which did not have any racial element and which Mr Suárez did not hear. An acrimonious argument ensued in which both players had a go at each other. In the course of this confrontation, Mr Suárez used the words "negro" or "negros" seven times. He also made other derogatory comments using the word.
[h=2]Commission's key conclusion[/h]We apply the standards that we consider appropriate to games played in England under the FA Rules. Whether the words or behaviour are abusive or insulting is an objective matter; it does not depend on whether the alleged offender intended his words to be abusive or insulting.
[h=2]Justification for length of ban[/h]Had Mr Suárez been sent off for using insulting words (not including reference to a person's colour), he would have received an automatic two-match suspension. The guidance in the FA Rules suggested that our starting-point should be to double that sanction; ie a four-match suspension. However, we were entitled to increase or reduce the penalty further. We took account of various aggravating and mitigating factors.
[h=2]Suárez's saving grace [/h]The FA made clear that it did not contend that Mr Suárez acted as he did because he is a racist. Mr Evra said in his evidence that he did not think Mr Suárez is a racist. Mr Suárez said in evidence that he will not use the word "negro" on a football pitch in England in the future, and we believe that is his genuine and firm intention. He has in the past supported, and continues to support, a charitable project in South Africa designed to promote multi-racial football.
