Luis Suarez Apology: Liverpool Striker Apologizes For Not Shaking Patrice Evra's Hand Before Man U Match

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has apologized for not shaking the hand of Manchester United's Patrice Evra prior to Liverpool's match on Saturday against Manchester United.

Suarez was suspended on Dec. 20, 2011 for eight matches for racial abuse of Evra during a match between the two clubs on Oct. 15, 2011. Suarez apparently felt the suspension was unjustified and refused to shake Evra's hand during Saturday's pre-match handshake ceremony, which led to some jostling between the two teams before they were separated by referees. The match then proved to be a very tense affair, with Suarez kicking a ball angrily off of the pitch just before halftime before both clubs apparently engaged in a confrontation in the tunnel while heading back to the dressing rooms after the first half ended.

Since refusing to shake hands with Evra, an act that was criticized by the media, as well as Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, the Liverpool striker has apparently seen the error of his ways and issued an apology on the Liverpool website. From the Guardian:

"I have spoken with the manager since the game at Old Trafford and I realise I got things wrong," Suárez said. "I've not only let him down, but also the club and what it stands for and I'm sorry. I made a mistake and I regret what happened. I should have shaken Patrice Evra's hand before the game and I want to apologise for my actions. I would like to put this whole issue behind me and concentrate on playing football."

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish also apologized for defending Suarez's act in a televised post-match interview. More from the Guardian:

"I was shocked to hear that the player had not shaken hands having been told earlier in the week that he would do," Dalglish said. "All of us have a responsibility to represent this club in a fit and proper manner and that applies equally to me as Liverpool manager. When I went on TV after yesterday's game I hadn't seen what had happened but I did not conduct myself in a way befitting of a Liverpool manager during that interview and I'd like to apologise for that."

According to the Guardian, the whole incident left Liverpool's American owners -- the Fenway Sports Group, headed by Boston Red Sox owner John Henry -- extremely displeased with the club and the way they have mismanaged the entire situation, from Suarez to Dalglish.

Manchester United won the match, 2-1, thanks to two Wayne Rooney goals. Suarez scored Liverpool's only goal on the day.

Earlier on HuffPost:

Comments

[Hareega]

10:13 PM on 02/13/2012

He did NOT use the N word. He called Evra "ne-rito" which is a very friendly word in Uruguay. Suarez has been working with anti racism organization in South Africa for three years.

[RodFerriol]

08:31 PM on 02/13/2012

I am originally from south america and I grew up in the USA I can give an opinion as both a person who is not only bilingual but also bicultural. The word Negro does NOT have a negative connotation as the N word does in Enlgish. (notice I dare not even write it out in Enlgish) Add the diminutive form to a word "-ito" and it makes it even more accepting and on top of that you add the cultural nuance of latin america where we point out peoples traits in nicknames as a gesture to approach people, it seems almost insulting to imply he was being racist. Not all cultures are bound by the same political correctness but more importantly not all words are bound by the baggage of one culture or another. Just because a word translates it does not make it a the correct translation. The simple truth is that negro and the n word are false cognates.

[chiodo08]

02:38 PM on 02/13/2012

...its' always something with the Man U drama queens....

[PedroLeon]

05:41 PM on 02/13/2012

Actually it was a pretty egregious act of racism on Suarez' part.

[tqcobb]

01:13 PM on 02/13/2012

I guess a leopard doesn't change his spots...appears the suspension did little or nothing to change Suarez's attitude toward black people

[Seaniebhoy]

03:53 PM on 02/13/2012

Why...He's shaken other black players hands all the time...he just clearly doesn't LIKE Evra.

[PedroLeon]

05:42 PM on 02/13/2012

He doesn't LIKE Evra because he's black. You missed part one of this saga, evidently.

[ourdave]

04:36 PM on 02/13/2012

His grandfather is black, he himself is therefore 'mixed race'.
It's absurd to imply he's racist,
Even Evra acknowledged in the FA hearing that he didn't think Suarez was racist.
Of all the banal statements I've seen that takes the title.
Bravo.

[myopinion2]

10:23 AM on 02/13/2012

There's no place for racism. I can't believe he has apologists for this. His biggest fan should denounce him.

[Roshi98]

12:44 PM on 02/13/2012

Give me a break. You know nothing of the actual story or "he said/he said" nature of the FA's justification for banning Suarez for eight matches. He served the ban but both he and the club have maintained his innocence with absolutely no benefit to the reputation of either.

Also, Evra hammed the handshake incident up big time. For every player preceding Suarez in the line his hand was extended and open, but for Suarez it was dropped down and withdrawn until AFTER the Uruguayan passed by. Suarez should have been instructed to shake the man's hand no matter what - he wasn't and he takes responsibility for stepping out in front of the occasion and manning up. However the lack of coverage of Evra's actions is a shocking display of rank bias and prejudice against Suarez.

But make no mistake. While Suarez might have been the fool in this drama, Evra was most certainly the trickster.

[Seaniebhoy]

03:54 PM on 02/13/2012

Funny how for John Terry the FA came in and stopped the handshake....but not for Liverpool?

[daniel vj]

01:15 AM on 02/13/2012

Suarez is NOT a racist... what is going on here is just a distraction...
How come there are not a single proof of what really did happen on that game?
Not the cameras, not the other players, not the referee... but they were proof of Evra calling Suarez a Sudaca.. and that in Europe is a racist insult to people of South American origins..
Evra had already in the pass tried to play the race card and it FAIL, this time around is working out.
Why Suarez has to shake the hand of someone that is for Many of us just pretending?
I would not.. Evra is not a victim here.... time will prove me right..
This is POLITICS, Manchester would not just stand by while a new player on the league made several team defenses look like sacks of potatoes..
Race has nothing to do here .. Suarez is not a PR player either.. he is true to his feelings and I respect that more than a fake handshake that would have obviously made happy the audience.
A blind to the facts audience... ohhh,... no hand shake...
Show me the tapes, the proof, or at least a witness ..... non exist and that is a FACT.

[ameal]

01:50 AM on 02/13/2012

A - He used the N word, in spanish. Thats unacceptable.
B - The sportsmanship in football requires that the teams shake hands before the game and conduct themselves after the game because they are an example to millions of kids who worship soccer and the English league. It was unacceptable and I am glad the owners are putting pressure on him to stop acting like a child.

[daniel vj]

03:12 AM on 02/13/2012

The N word in spanish? That is not an insult where Suarez comes from...
Look up a singer names RADA from Uruguay , or look up Obdulio Varela and see how he is called ...
And these guys are loved and respected by everybody!!!
This is POLITICS and if you rather the kids watch fake handshakes and pretend all is OK is a matter of choice..
And look up the English league double standard ... know about John Terry ...
The guy is the captain of the English team .... and in his case is not the first time...
Suarez is being used as a DISTRACTION so the media and the masses forget about .... JOHN TERRY .... look it up..

[Roshi98]

12:53 PM on 02/13/2012

There's no requirement to shake hands in football - that's an absurd statement. There's a tradition, but players can't be reprimanded for not participating.

And, frankly, your bias is showing. Evra played his part in this whole affair by dropping and pulling in his hand as Suarez approached.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/405765_10151270944935338_679615337_22760542_1394798675_n.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80Oed8OT4vw (start at :26 to see the procession leading up to the alleged "snub")

Now, I'm not saying that Suarez intended to shake Evra's hand, but the defender's "special" treatment of Suarez as he approached could certainly have been interpreted by the Uruguayan as disinterest. Anyone with eyes and life experience can attest to the import of subtle visual cues, and Evra's changing of position certainly qualifies as that.

For me, neither Suarez NOR Evra went out of their way to meeting halfway in the moment, but Evra has again somehow managed to escape scrutiny in favor of the preferred narrative of Suarez as penultimate pantomime villain.

[StephenHNIC]

11:50 PM on 02/12/2012

John Henry should either right the ship or divest himself of ownership of Liverpool. This is America and this is 2012. I don't care at all about soccer, but if an American company is employing people who make racist comments and then act even more immature about other people's dislike of racist comments, then I as an American citizen will pay attention to every detail.

John Henry should assert control of what is his or cease to own it. Period.

Suarez showed himself for what he is, and no after-the-fact spin will change it. What a lout.

[roger37]

12:19 AM on 02/13/2012

I agree, but this is really minor. There have been matches between elite level teams where the soccer fans threw bananas on the field and make ape-like sounds. Sounds like parts of Europe still have to go through what we in the US went through 50 years ago.

[ourdave]

01:55 AM on 02/13/2012

Nice condescension there Roger.
We didn't have to go through what you did 50 years ago because we didn't ever and don't treat people differently by the colour of their skin.
This was a misunderstanding between a Uruguayan and a Frenchman.. Quite how you're dumping this on the British doorstep I don't know.
There are racist everywhere just like there are idiots everywhere. Public incidents of racism are very rare. The banana incident was in 1987, just so yo know.

[ThierryGhi]

10:16 PM on 02/12/2012

Suarez is a great player, he is also a nasty player and a cheater. He's a disgrace to football.

[daniel vj]

10:30 AM on 02/13/2012

Evra is a great player, he is also a nasty player and a cheater. He's a disgrace to football.

[Roshi98]

12:57 PM on 02/13/2012

A cheater? How do you figure that? He dives occasionally as EVERY professional footballer does. Wayne Rooney is a far more common practitioner of that art. And the WC handball? Please. He was rightly red carded and sent off, and ANY player in that situation, given the choice to allow their national side to fall out of the competition or do what had to be done to give them a chance would have done the same thing. Such a laughable mark against the man it defies belief.