ABSTRACT
In 2011 the English Football Association was embroiled in a high-profile case involving allegations of racial abuse by Liverpool FC’s Luis Suárez directed at Manchester United’s Patrice Evra. During a league match between the two clubs at Anfield, Liverpool in October 2011, the French Manchester United full back Evra claimed that he had been racially abused by Liverpool’s Uruguayan international Luis Suárez. A subsequent independent FA enquiry found Suárez guilty, fined him £40,000 and banned him for eight games. However, both before and after the FA investigation, Liverpool and then manager Kenny Dalglish rigorously defended Suárez in the media, including both manager and players wearing T-shirts supporting the player at a league match in Wigan in December 2011. Throughout this period there was a lack of contrition from the club or admission that any wrongdoing had taken place, despite intense media interest around debates about racism in football.
