aCe' wrote:He's admitted to saying what he did....
The phrase he used might very well be used in a different context in South America but that means Fck All if he used it in the portrayed, racist context when addressing Evra on the pitch.
Are the key points here.
It's very hard to reconcile the fact that the word 'negrito' might be used in an endearing sense in his native Uruguay, amongst his fellow Uruguayan teammates, for example, with the context in which the word is alleged to have been used against Evra; that being a moment of heated confrontation during a derby match. It may very well be that the independent panel found that Suarez used insulting words together with the word 'negrito', in which case it becomes that much harder to sustain the 'term of endearment' argument.
At any rate, whether or not he used the word intending to insult Evra, and on the face of it it seems likely that he did, it was nevertheless a foolish choice of word. At the very least, he should have been aware that it might be seen as offensive. Ignorance as to the possible meaning of the word is a poor excuse given the obvious connotations it has, and has had, in so many parts of the world and certainly over here.
People will question the severity of the ban, but what's surely not in doubt is that Suarez made a serious mistake here, and that we are not simply the victims of a biased disciplinary process. He really did have a case to answer for.
Let's also be clear that the independent panel did not call Suarez a racist; one comment does not necessarily make a person a racist. He was found guilty of using insulting words that made reference to Evra's colour, not of being a racist.
That's why the club were keen to highlight his 'multi-ethnic' credentials, his support for anti-racism campaigns and so forth. It's also why people should think carefully before they label him a 'racist', as though he is and always will be of that orientation.
