Why are 9 points all but guaranteed in your eyes against those three clubs? Newcastle who are flying high (despite a recent blip) and Wigan who managed to hold Chelsea to a draw? Do you think Liverpool are actually better than they are? Fulham fans are probably the tamest fans in the Prem, if Suarez can't hack them - then he's got no hope..... It's all over for your lot. Not that you were going to present any sort of challenge in the first place. Very inconsistent - even with Suarez in tow.

'I’ve just twisted my knob into a sailors knot.' Mine looks like a dead expensive Scalextric track.

I'm surprised at an 8 match ban ,it does seem a bit harsh,but if it set a precedent its great news.can't wait to see what that knuckle dragger Terry gets

@dbsknees yeah we are better than Chelsea as we've proven in the last month twice you bell end!! Who gives a monkeys chuff what you or anyone else thinks about us... Do one will you!!!!

It's a complete joke and a decision which cannot possibly stand if the details of Liverpool FC's statement released in the last hour are correct. http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/latest-news/liverpool-fc-statement-20-12-11 The logic is simple ... https://twitter.com/#!/M_arioBalotelli/status/149230957432545280

Er Calm down! Calm down! The club has 14 days to lodge an appeal - and I hope they do, even if it leads to a longer ban at least they well stand by their player. The ban is way over the top - the fine is OK and I won't expect less. The whole of this sorry saga needs to be put to bed - if Suarez really is guilty after an appeal then so be it. Hammer him. Ignorance is no excuse in the eyes of the law? In that case Terry should be banned for life.

Good article, as far as it goes. It seems to me like The FA have chosen to make their stand against the historic and incessant whining of the big clubs, over this case. The idea being to send a powerful message to all involved, and an appeal will make no difference in the short term. However, I do think LFC will take this as far as legally possible, and that will mean to the highest court. I say this confidently, yet it will all depend on the report that comes in the next couple of days showing exactly why The FA reached their decision. If it is as the club says, purely word against word, then I can see this going much further than an appeal. I saw a tweet from @JimBoardman saying that in his opinion the club had grown some balls saying what they had in their statement, immediately post decision. I agree, this is a fight the club needs, perhaps, to take on to show the FA that they need to get their SHIT together. They've been sulking and smarting since the last world cup, and the failure of the WC2018 bid. They need a wake up call, and the hierarchy needs to change. This could be the tipping point. I think the way they have handled themselves, the clubs, and footballers in the last twenty years has been a disgrace, so perhaps this will be their downfall. Ah...bollocks, I don't know... I'm angry about so many things to do with this situation right now, I can hardly think straight. Things are in such flux at the club presently that I worry what is lurking round the corner. Stevie G's health, Carra's demise, the fate of the younger lads, the FSG, and the new stadium. The last thing we needed was this, and just as we were ridding ourselves of the spectres of Heysel, and Hillsborough too. Things were looking rosy, moving in the right direction, harmony was returning, and now this. I desperately do NOT want to see our club being made a pariah AGAIN!! It would break my heart....

https://twitter.com/#!/kennethdalglish Is right Kenny!

Black players have come out and said they have been racially abused by white players but the FA do nothing, then throw the book at a mix raced South American!

Everything depends on how the FA word their conclusion - if it in any way prooves to be faulty I hope LFC and Suarez take them to the highest court possible and leather the bastards. I also await with interest to see what the FA will do about Evra abusing Suarez, ( by his own admission) but I'm not exactly holding my breath there. Lets see how this pans out but two things are for certain. What ever way it goes in the end football has lost out and the bad blood between LFC and Man U has just got a whole lot worse.

Fucking rat faced racist cunt. Hope Terry's next be made an example of.

jimmy's hit the nail on the head there. well said sir Suarez is absolute whinging scum and a complete stain on football. And he's a bit shit too. Can't see that anyone will miss him.

JJJ - the fat lady hasn't sung yet, so keep your venom to yourself. IF he's guilty then fine, slag the ignorant one off - but if he ain't?

"Will he leave?" Unfortunately, racism will continue and 'we'll' have forgotten this in 5 minutes. Of Course he won't leave. It'll be reduced to 5 on appeal anyway. 'Barcelona or Real Mardrid' Give over, he'd be lucky to get a game for Valencia. Anti-racism 1. Hysteria 2.

Hey NIck - touch a nerve did I? Sure, you're better than Chelsea, you must be right, having placed below them in the league for god-knows-how-many-years? Also the 'Team A beat Team B and we beat Team A so that means we'll easily Team B then' doesn't work. Twat.

Worth pointing out it was an independent panel that determined his guilt, not the FA. They just handed out the punishment. 8 games really isn't that bad considering being found guilty of racism would almost certainly cost you your job in most other walks of life.

Hopefully Dalglish resigns over it, and Suarez leaves (he doesn't love the club any more than Torres did or Tevez loved Man City by the way)

@dbsknees :-) yeah Chelsea did finish above us for the last 10yrs or so at just about the time Russian money bankrolled them into the consistent machine they would become under Jose, we all know that it's in the history books but your point is what exactly?? Knob!

doesn't matter whatever anyone thinks of any kind of South American linguistics. John fucking Terry will get off scot free. Make of that what you will. Its a much clearer case and has taken just as long.I just dont think as Suarez as a racist (but I am prepared if wrong). It does seem as if an example has been made in this case, and not just in Premier League football. If he his truly a racist throw the book at him, but i really dont understand it in this incident

vinfox hit the nail on the head. quite frankly i wont miss him flailing to the ground everytime a defender so much as breathes on him. and yeah he wont cope with opposition fans giving him stick - clearly demostrated in the fulham game! this time you do walk alone you racist twat

8 match ban and 40K fine? The FA must be a JOKE. I guess this is jst a way of ensuring Carroll gets playing as the English are short in that department for the POLKRAINE 2012.

Absolute joke! I'll be expecting at least a 16 game ban for Terry!

The 8 match ban follows a precedent set in 2002 when Reading's John Mackie racially abused Sheffield United's Carl Asaba, so not harsh and not a joke. Disappointing that Liverpool FC have shown a very poor attitude in accepting this decision, when they could have earned commendable Brownie points by gracefully accepted the end of this saga and in the process cementing English Football's intended zero tolerance of racism. Blatter is not alone unfortunately.

@Graham Crabb It is a joke if the only evidence is Evra's. Why should his assertion carry more weight than the counter claim?

Erm, a quick look at the recent track record of Mr. Suarez maybe? The handball, the diving, the biting, the finger.....

i was listening to radio 5 live this morning and 2 liverpool fans were definately not backing suarez, they both said very eloquently that he blatantly used a racist term. suarez admitted using the term, and in the context of what happened in the actual match his argument that i was a used as term of endearment is complete bollox, they were at each other the whole match, and as one of the liverpool fans said, suarez used the term to wind evra up ( he has a history of being hot headed), this has backfired on him massivley, the FA are right in what they have done, regardless of its ita acceptable in south america, its not acceptable here and thats where he lives and plays his football. Poyet has lost a lot of respect by saying what he said, he basically came out as a racist in that interview, just because he accepted it for years in spain doesnt mean its acceptable( remember the monkey calls directed at lewis hamilton in the grand prix this year??), just because he didnt have the balls to stand up to it doesnt mean evra should just accept it( thierry henry had the balls to stand up to the spanish coach aragones when he was racist towards him remember?). liverpool have handled this very badly indeed, they came out saying they 100% support the player straight after the allegations and then continued to say things about it in press conferences when the FA expressely told both clubs not to say anything ( fergie refuses to take questions on the subject). what they should have said was ' we await the outcome of the FA investigation and wont be commenting' and then done exactly that. liverpool and suarez have no one to blame but themselves. i hope they appeal and he gets a longer ban. PR disaster from liverpools point of view too- by continually saying they support the player thay have shadowed the club with a racist image- surarez= racist, liverpool support suarez= liverpool are racist. even dumb ass liverpool fans can see thats not good and its extremely damaging. the FA should be comended for taking a stand and treating this with the seriousness it should be treated with, unlike FIFA who just want it swept under the carpet. Tim Vickery( BBC south american sports dude) has been very insightful on how this should be used as an education tool to progress the anti racism debate onwards ( and then shoots himself in the foot by saying south americans feel like we are patronising them and relating this to the fact FIFA used to be headed by an englishman who supported apartheid in south africa- missing the point that that was 30 odd years ago and we have moved on while they blatantly havent!). their should be zero tolerance for racism in sport and the FA ( for all their obvious faults) should be comended for taking a stand. now they need to show consistentcy with the john terry case.

liverpool and dalglish are a fucking embarrasment . He cant be a racist cos he has a black grandparent and has some black friends? Thats the srength of the defence!! Besides which, hes been accused and found gulity of making inflammatory and racist comments ...when was this need too prove his whole character is that of a racist deemed necessary to be gulity of making the remarks? And attempting to paint him as some innocent young boy, the victim of a deliberate campaign is fucking shameful given his track record ...hes cheat of the highest order indulging in sportsmanship too provoke an opponent ...as hes done on countless previous occasions. As for KK himself, that arbiter of fair play, he has certainly gone back to basics with this liverpool team ...the whining, moaning, cheating mentality that characterised his own playing days ....wasnt the phrase 'youll never walk alone' the one he and his club used after them hillsborough disaster as a mark of respect? To rehash it in defence of this prick seems way off the mark

If you are taking track records into account Mr Evra doesn't stand a chance! A proven liar and a bully!

There can be little doubt that Evra "I'm toally Innocent of any thing ever" and Suarez "He touched me so I'll fall over" were at each other all match. Suarez made Evra look like a twat on the pitch; both were verbally abusing each other in the time honoured way of professional role models. Personally I think Suarez DID use the offensive language - but he claims he didn't know it was (say what you will and believe what you like on this one) as in S America the term isn't racist. As for LFC standing by their player - what do you expect them to do? No one, not even Evra's own mates heard the remarks - but all of a sudden R5 finds some one who did?! - no officals, no players. Evra has stated that Suarez isn't racist... In keeping quiet for the first time ever Fergie becomes a saint? I hope that LFC DO appeal - and if he gets a longer ban then so be it - because this particular case needs sorting fairly and squarely. The club feel that there are many questions to answer and that the whole shambolic item has been directly aimed at their player and he was found guilty BEFORE he was even heard. Coming alongside Blather's racist hand shake fuck up, the failure of the WC bid and the sweet FA looking to flex their muscle in some way the club just might have a point. I don't see how the FA CAN do any thing in the Terry case as isn't it in the hands of the police? This whole thing sucks. Both the nature of the slur (and a race card will always trump a yellow eh Pat?), the way the FA conducted the case and the crazy outcome. In the eyes of the club it was one mans word against an other - so why not stand by him when others appear to have an agenda of their own. Can't stand racism in any form but I don't think fairness and justice have been done here, not by a long way.

"Liverpool have a history of blooding young, fearless goalscorers" when was the last one? Micheal Owen? How long ago was that? And when was the last time any player came through your youth academy to be a proper first team starter.. Steven Gerrard?

The reaction of some fans to this is outrageous, Suarez was found guilty of racially abusing a fellow professional by an independent panel! If Suarez did the same thing in an office environment he would be sacked no questions asked but apparently an 8 game ban is over the top? I realise it being competitive sport there is a obviously a bit of verbal goes on between players but he's obviously crossed the line and has been rightfully punished, racism in any form is not acceptable. Suarez admitted he made the comment the only thing up for debate is the context in which it was said and subsequently the severity of the punishment. As for people comparing it to the Terry incident can we at least wait for the outcome before we accuse the F.A of being biased as hopefully he will also be given a lengthy suspension.

it should be noted ( those of a scouse intent might want to look away now) that evra's previous cases eg chelsea were all brought about my other people, not him. this is the 1 and only case where he has been the apellant. Liverpool can dress this case up however they like, the fact is their player made a racist comment( racist in our english cultural context) and the player admitted he made the comment- thats racism and he has been banned for that. their is no defence for that, none at all. liverpool fans defending him should take a step back and think that if this was a player from another team they wouldnt be accpeting it, this isnt a red card for a high tackle situation where there are always debates about right and wrong. its a clear cut case of racism, take your blinkers off and look at it objectively. he did it, he has been found guilty.

For the idiots above who think an 8 match ban is too much then try going into work tomorrow and racially abuse someone and see what happens. You will be sacked on the spot and the OB will be called. Suarez has gotten off very lightly and the statement from Liverpool is unbelievable. Was it written by a fool off RAWK?

I don't think Saurez is a racist but that doesn't justify him using racist insults to spur Evra or any other black player. It does shine a brighter player of who Luis Saurez has been thru his career and that is an immature, childish and irresponsible player. Hopefully, this ban will force Saurez to grow up. He has great skill and ability. If he cleans up his act, maybe even black players will take a liking to him.

Nick - you're a fine one for talking about the history books - it's all you Red Scousers bang on about, your f*cking history! Money makes the Premiership go round unfortunately pal, so your excuses about bankrolling are weak. Besides it's not like Liverpool haven't spanked untold money - Carroll 35m? Henderson 20m? Downing? Adam? All average and overpriced. You sir, are truly a deluded cock jockey.

Should yield 9 points,mmmm not quite!

After Kenny Dalglish foolishly repeatedly defended their striker, the club had been left with little option to back Suarez. However, now that he has been found guilty, you’d think even scousers would have enough class to condemn him. Instead, they choose to lie and claim that Evra has made unfounded allegations before and suggest that because Suarez has played with black players before he can’t possibly be racist. It is our strong held belief, having gone over the facts of the case, that Luis Suarez did not commit any racist act. It is also our opinion that the accusation by this particular player was not credible – certainly no more credible than his prior unfounded accusations. Patrice Evra has never made any public claims of racism against anyone before, let allow numerous accusations, as this Liverpool statement implies. Presumably the situations LFC are referring to are the allegations made by deaf football fans against Steve Finnan when they claimed to lip read him making racist comments to Evra. Also, when Mike Phelan claimed that Chelsea groundstaff made racist comments towards Evra, even though our player denied having heard any racist remarks himself. LFC are either embarrassing ignorant or liars. Either way, to make such unfounded allegations against Evra, suggesting he is playing the ‘race card’ against Suarez, is shocking. Luis himself is of a mixed race family background as his grandfather was black. He has played with black players and mixed with their families whilst with the Uruguay national side and was Captain at Ajax Amsterdam of a team with a proud multi-cultural profile, many of whom became good friends. It seems incredible to us that a player of mixed heritage should be accused and found guilty in the way he has based on the evidence presented. Ah ok, I get it, some of Suarez’s best friends are black people, right? That’s usually how a racist defends himself after being questioned over making an offensive comment or joke. We would also like to know when the FA intend to charge Patrice 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. Luis, to his credit, actually told the FA he had not heard the insult. Firstly, if we are to accuse every footballer for “making abusive remarks to an opponent” the FA would do nothing else. Secondly, I’d like to think Evra called Liverpool’s racist striker all the names under the sun. Whilst not literally kicking racism out of football, as Eric Cantona did almost two decades ago, I am proud that our vice-captain was proud to speak out against racism, when so many other players would rather bury their heads in the sand. If one of our players was ever found guilty of making racist remarks I would be gutted. That feeling would only intensify if they were ignorant enough to respond with the drivel LFC have done in their official statement. Their fans should be embarrassed and ashamed of their club and player, but just like always, I’m sure they will find someone else to blame. Black armbands for Suarez… that’s if he doesn’t object to the colour.

Nice one f*ckface - 3 points against Wigan - my @rse!

So the liverpool players all rally around Suarez and no-one can see what the fuss is about. Are the black Liverpool players behind him also? Hang on, there's only one, Glen Johnson. Not really in a strong position to make a stand is he? Hmm, interesting.

I was really surprised at Liverpool fans expectation levels this year,just because they spent a lorry load of cash and had Kenny back they all thought the glory days were coming back.As a Spurs fan I found it laughable that the bookies rated Liverpools chances of a top 4 finish higher than ours and duly took advantage of the situation.There seems to be a feeling that Liverpool deserve and should be at the top just because of past achievements, which really grates on other teams fans nerves, thats why there is hostility towards Liverpool and it will get worse as you all blame everyone else instead of taking a look at your very shabby handling of this whole affair.

the more i read that liverpool statement the worse it gets!! liverpool need to shut the fuck up about the whole thing as they are digging a bigger grave for themselves by the day... now ex liverpool players alan hansen has had to apologise for saying the word 'coloured' 3 times on MOTD last night... are these idiots living in the real world anymore? LFC stuck in a 1980's mindset.

Oh no, Alan Hansen used the word 'coloured' to describe a black person - he's clearly a despicable racist!

John - no one is saying Hansen is a racist, just that he's stuck in the 80s and is obviously ignorant to how the modern world works. And for the record, no one has called Suarez a racist, just that he used a racial slur. Big difference.

Colin, I think people get too hung-up on specific words. Fair enough if someone uses a blatantly racist term to describe a black, Indian or white person. But for Alan Hansen to apologise because he referred to certain players as coloured is a little silly. It's hardly an outrageous racial slur now, is it? People are far too sensitive and easily offended these days.

John - I agree that saying "coloured" is not a racist term but it is out-dated and not really acceptable nowadays. Hansen has immediately defused the situation and apologised if his comments offended anyone. All over with.

The only people on these pages stuck in a mind set appear to be the hand wringing right on yohurt weaving PC fuck heads... Why can't any one just state the bloody obvious without this fear of being seemed to be racist? If I was brave enough to call my mate Sol a Black guy there wouldn't b a problem; he's black (and very proud of it too), married to a white Dutch girl and lives not far from me. He supports LFC. If I called him black in a vicious, obviously racist way (a) he'd know it and (b) I'd end up sucking food through a straw for the foreseeable future. As with most language it's not just what you say but how you say it that puts the whole thing into context. I'm not suggesting for one minute that the language of the streets of old resurrects itself, but common ssnese has to prevail. If you can not use common descriptive language in a non offensive way then I really think we all to pack up and go home. The stupid thing with climbing on the PC band wwaggon the real problem gets over looked as people try to prove they're less racist than the other guy. So do us all a favour PC'ers - shut the fuck up and go find an other band wagon to jump on. Some of us have been fighting racism all their lives - it's not just a political or social fashion.

I wonder if Suarez calls Glen Johnson "negrito" or "negro" (doing the rounds that Suarez said negro and not negrito) in training every day?

@BigRed1,you seemed to share the pc's concern in your earlier post"the whole of this sorry saga needs to be put to bed,if Suarez is guilty,hammer him"He has admitted racially abusing Evra,whats changed your mind? And your line"some of us have been fighting racism all their lives"just doesn't sit right with your,maybe need to tell your black friend that he's black,I'm sure he knows.

Dear Front - Suarez has admitted notihng of the sort. He used words that have no racist meaning in his home country at all - the response this saga has got there has been notihng short of amazement. Suarez was dumb, no doubt about that, to even use the words in a match (or at any other time for that matter) especially in an other country. But does that make him racist? It makes him dumb and in need of educating into the norms of this country - but racist? And on the credential front... Don't take the words out of context. I don't need to bleat on about having black mates, Asian mates or, God help me, mates from Manchester. What I'm trying to get across, as I'm sure you are aware, is that referring to someones colour doesn't make you racist - its a basic point of recognition about some ones appearance. For example, I stand 6' 7" tall - and some times I have been referred to as tall. That doesn't make the speaker "sizist" (if there is such a thing), its just a point of reference. Once I was called a Lanky Snow Drop by a mate of Sols... And yes, he too was black. Was he being racist too? I didn't take offence, why? People need to give a little, understand a little more and not be so quick to condemn. And as for all my life... Well I took part in protests against the Springboks tour... Look it up if you aren't old enough to know what I'm on about, and no, I'm not being ageist either. I'm just getting tired of the endless attempts to misrepresent simple language and cultural mistakes as something they are not. And, if you want to take a further slant to this, isn't the finding itself racist? Your cultural diffences don't matter and don't count? I thought that cultural diversity and celebration of differneces as well as similarities was to be welcomed? Or does that only apply to the few the Pc'ers decide to recognise?

OK BigRed1 I was being a bit mischievous and I hope no offence was taken,I still feel that Liverpool FC should have handled the situation in a much better way though.That piece of shit Terry is a different story though and I hope he is hounded out of the game by PC's,tree huggers,anybody who has a sense of what is right and because of that fucking save off the line in the last minute tonight the complete bastard

BigRed1 - what is it about you 'pool fans that you just don't get it? Luis Suarez is a fantastic footballer but he is a wrong 'un on the pitch. That is not up for debate. He dives and cheats and is on at refs and opposing players for 90 minutes. It is clear he has a problem with his temper if he will resort to biting an opponent on the pitch. It was Liverpool v United at Anfield and Evra and Suarez got into a heated spat. This wasn't about mates having a laugh together in Uruguay, it was two players winding each other up and probably hoping the other would "snap". The use of the word "negrito", Evra says multiple times, was not friendly, how could it be in their nasty exchange? It's all about context which you 'pool fans are totally ignoring. And I'll stress once again. NO ONE HAS ACCUSED SUAREZ OF BEING A "RACIST". He has been found guilty of using a racial slur. Surely even you can appreciate the big big difference? Can't you?

And furthermore, if I innocently offended someone because of cultural differences I would immediately apologise to that person and explain that it wouldn't happen again. If Suarez had come out with something along those lines I'm sure this would all have been forgotten. This ill-advised stance of LFC is doing untold damage to the club and they can't see it. It is so amateurish and cringeworthy (t-shirts and players statements, pictures of Suarez with black kids), it is almost like a parody.

reading all these comments it goes to show some anti LFC are just twats. a case was brought before the FA (Fergies Associates) and they wanted to prove a point because in a space of 7 days, Terry, Suarez and Blatter were all involed in a situation surrounding racism. FA wanted to punish FIFA for Sepp's comments and in doing so, passed a hefty fine and ban on Suarez. wonder what will happen to Terry because you can see what he said to Ferdinand. Evra, what can we say about this player. is he a cry baby? can a player of colour really racially abuse another player of colour? i dont htink so. Evra was being tormented by Suarez's skills and lashed out on a "derogative" word that ONLY he heard. just like when Nani cried last season when Carragher rough tackled him. its just a case of spoil sports which comes from MANURE's manager. now i have nothing against Fergie and what he has achived at MANURE but because of his burning desire to overcome the pain he felt when LFC was dominating football in the 70's and 80's, he has filtered those insucurities onto his players. come now, Suarez never abused Evra. everybody knows this. but 8 matches and a fine will pass soon. lets wait to see what will happen to Terry and how the country will be up in arms when he is banned for a year and will miss the Euro's. i listed to Poyets comments on how he was abused in whilst playing in Spain and marvelled on how he overcame such words. On a weekly basis, i watch English football and note how players use "derogative" words every 2 to 3 minutes. will they be banned too? or dooes Fergies Associates choose what words are "derogative"? finally, on LFC wearing Suarez t-shirts the other night . . . i dont care how this comes out but our motto is "You Will Never Walk Alone" so the other night was a great jesture by the LFC staff and players. two weeks from now, this will be all forgotten, just like Rooney stamping on a player deliberatley trying to wreck his career was forgotten.

oh, my comment on Rooney trying to wreck a players career . . . . compare these two scenarious: are "derogative" words harmful or studs from a frustated player? just a thought.

@Robert,get off your high horse you twaaattttt

Robert - you are defending Suarez because of his talent and you are terrified he will leave. Your club is condoning racism because of a mans football talent. Classy.

@Robert well said mate we dont get much backing the mancs are everywhere!!

@Jimmy James Jameson I believe u are a Man U fan for sure and u @daniel caine u are more of a absolute whinging scum back than Suarez. It is people like u who will cry sheep and goat if being hammered. What will u say about Evra insulting Suarez, u are simply jealous of Suarez because any day any time he will make mess of Man u on the pitch.

@Graham Crabb u are a pain in the ass, ur point show u have something else with Suarez if not you shouldn't have talk out of point. I will advice u take some medication to get back your senses.

Evra is a crying wolf who is only being tormented by Suarez's skills and lashed out on a "derogation" word that ONLY he heard. Suarez first match with Man U saw Evra kissing the ground twice and since then he is not taking easy on Suuraz. All the anti Liverpool sending their comments here are Man u fans

"Welcome to Klanfield"

Mary,Mary,quite contrary,do any brain cells grow?

Good to see the usual fickos and re'tards jumping to their anti L b'llox