The Curious Case of Luis Suarez

At the moment, the issue I and most Liverpool supporters have is reported to have been said, because without a doubt, there is no defending racism. But to label Luis Suarez a racist you have to question the person that reported it and the evidence supporting the claims. If the FA are believed to have solely based their decision on Patrice Evra saying he was 'racially abused' and Suarez admitting he said 'Negro/Negrito' then I find enough reason to argue...

Context is everything. I have witnessed Hispanics, Latin and South Americans refer to each other as 'Nigga's' in open conversation because of their mixed-race descent. I have no proof that Suarez goes around and call's his Uruguayan buddies 'Negro/Negrito', but due to the fact he is of a Spanish speaking nation he is perfectly likely to. And it is perfectly likely that in a conversation during a football match with a team-mate or opponent he would use it then.

The believed conversation between Suarez and Evra is:

Evra : "Don't touch me South American"

Suarez :"Porque Negro?" (Because, Black?)

To an uncultured or naive eye, you may instantly spot 'Negro' and point a finger and call "RACISM!" Because of its slang term in the English language. But Suarez isn't speaking English is he? Negro is a common term for a black person in his own language. The English translation of 'Negro' is 'Black' and therefore a reference to his skin colour, but just the same way if you type a full sentence into google translate and it comes out gibberish; the meaning is lost in translation. I personally find nothing out the ordinary in that conversation, and you could see why there is such an uproar in Uruguay regarding the punishment of Suarez. It simply sounds like a Uruguayan and Frenchman speaking broken English and Spanish to each other.

What is racial abuse? It certainly isn't the conversation above. You only need to google the meaning of 'Negro' to find out it's meaning in other languages. ("In Spanish-speaking countries such as Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay where there are few people of African origin and appearance, negro (negra for females) is commonly used to refer to partners, close friends or people in general independent of skin color.")

You could argue that in this case the conversation between Suarez and Evra was not that of a chat between two close friends, and you would be right. However, you would also be suggesting that a fight between two people who speak English would never start with 'What (you sayin)' mate?'

Replace 'Mate' with 'Negro' and apply it's connotations in Spanish-speaking languages and you will find a suitable argument for Luis Suarez.

To enforce an idea of 'This is England, we don't speak the same language as you, so its wrong.' would be a ridiculous stance and would surely mean implicating a ban on foreign languages being used in the English game. A move that even the FA wouldn't be naive enough to think of.

Based on what I have written above, and If we are to know that Suarez has admitted the use of the word 'Negro' then we must turn our heads to the FA's decision. Nobody will really know what was said until the full report is issued, but to go on the facts we have been given,(the same facts the media are creatively using to paint an evil portrait of Suarez) The FA have based their decision on the use of this word, and Patrice Evra's testimony that he felt racially abused by it.

There is also reason to highlight Patrice Evra's background. Like Suarez, he has had his fair share of controversy's, but to fully back this one man's opinion against another man's (if that is the case) seems very questionable. What also seems questionable is the punishment itself, as other players have been proven to have done far worse and received much less.

The Liverpool FC statement that was released shortly after the ban was announced, shows sheer pride and determination in not only clearing Luis Suarez' name as a racist, but also proving that he did not say anything racist in the first place. Taking all accounts into consideration, and that LFC must surely know of the evidence in question, it seems to me that the FA's judgement has, quite literally, been lost in translation.

The Uruguayan Government, fellow Uruguay team mates and coaching staff have leapt to defend the player. The comments of the Uruguay captain Diego Lugano are interesting. As well as pointing out the said cultural difference in the use of the word 'Negro', he also point out how he cannot believe "How a player like Evra could do this" and that "He is breaking all the codes in football". To me that sounds like Lugano's opinion is that Evra know's fine well what he is doing. He is well aware of the connotations of Negro, but is using it against Suarez to spite him.

I for one do not support Racism in any way, and would believe anyone in the right mind would feel strongly against it. Sport, Entertainment or Work. Anywhere. And if there is a case to be made for anti-racism in English football then it should set an example in a more obvious way, rather than make a rod for its own back in dismissing what makes the Premier League what it is; a vast variety of foreign players and cultural differences playing together.

Maybe my own opinion is lost in translation. But we are all entitled to it. The same way the FA and their independent panel who made the decision are. But I, like many, would hope that any decision that was made in any verdict, took all things into consideration. Sadly, in this case, it would appear not.