Uruguay footballers defend Suarez

An FA independent regulatory commission found Suarez guilty of racially abusing the Manchester United player Patrice Evra during the Premier League match at Anfield on 15 October.

The six-day hearing was told that Suarez used “insulting words” that made reference to Evra’s skin colour.

Footballers in Uruguay came out in support of the Liverpool striker following the news, implying the incident was a cultural misunderstanding rather than a racist slur.

“They’re making a big mistake. It’s obvious that in England there’s a racism problem they’re trying to eradicate, and that’s good, but this sentence has no solid arguments,” the Uruguay captain Diego Lugano, who also plays for Paris St Germain, wrote on his blog.

Lazio winger Alvaro Gonzalez, also stuck by Suarez. “All of us who know Luis, we know that if he made this remark it wasn’t (meant to be) insulting,” he was quoted as saying in the Montevideo newspaper El Pais.

“We Uruguayans, and more so in football, use terms that can be wrongly interpreted by people from other places…it’s not a reason to call a Uruguayan a racist. Uruguayans often call friends ‘negro’ affectionately,” he added.

“Maybe we end up paying for entering other, perhaps more closed cultures and which surely have discriminated against Evra at some moment for him to feel attacked in this situation.”

Liverpool considering an appeal

Liverpool released a statement following the news, saying the club was “surprised and disappointed” at the decision.

They questioned the credibility of the Senegal-born Frenchman Evra when no-one else, including Evra’s team-mates and match officials, heard the alleged conversation between the two players.

We Uruguayans, and more so in football, use terms that can be wrongly interpreted by people from other places…it’s not a reason to call a Uruguayan a racist. Alvaro Gonzalez

Evra himself has been disciplined by the FA for getting into a fight with a Chelsea groundsman. At the hearing in 2008, the FA ruled that his evidence was “exaggerated and unreliable”, and in its statement, Liverpool highlighted Evra’s previous record, saying he is “not credible”.

The club is considering an appeal against the decision and said: “It is our strong held belief, having gone over the facts of the case, that Luis Suarez did not commit any racist act.”

However, anti-racism campaigners welcomed the decision, which they said will set the precedent for the future. Lord Herman Ouseley, chair of anti-racism in football charity, Kick It Out, said: “The FA has shown leadership and intent through what has clearly been a difficult and complex complaint to deal with, and invested time and expertise to ensure this outcome.

“It has demonstrated that it will not stand for discrimination, something organisations such as Fifa and Uefa should take heed of,” he added.

Read more: Sport reporter Keme Nzerum on the FA's 'moral stand'

Context is crucial

Alex Bellos, former Brazil correspondent for the Guardian and author of Futebol: The Brazilian way of Life, points out that Uruguay has one of the best records for recruiting black players: it was one of the first countries to recruit a black player.

He agrees with Suarez’ teammates that commenting on skin colour is the norm in South America, and is rarely an insult. However the FA considers any reference to skin colour as an offence.

“In Brazil, and probably in Uruguay as well, it is affectionate and totally normal,” Mr Bellos told Channel 4 News. “It’s all about context. In this country, any reference to someone’s skin colour is offensive. But it’s a completely different attitude towards race and colour [in Brazil]. Everyone is very aware of what colour they are…they are proud of the racial mix,” he said.

One of Brazil’s most loved footballers, Luís Carlos Machado, was best known as Escurinho which literally translates as ‘Darkie’ he adds.

“The idea that we don’t take context into account seems to me to be a bit isolationist. There’s a whole world out there, whatever his attitude is, it’s formed by growing up in South America.”

Suarez of ‘mixed heritage’

Liverpool’s anger is compounded by the fact the Uruguayan player is himself from a mixed race background, as his grandfather was black. The team also pointed out that the player has for years been involved in a charity project encouraging different ethnic minorities to get involved with the sport.

“The club takes extremely seriously the fight against all forms of discrimination and has a long and successful track record in work relating to anti-racist activity and social inclusion,” the statement read.

“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. We do not recognise the way in which Luis Suarez has been characterised.”

Suarez said on his Twitter feed: “Today is a very difficult and painful day for both me and my family.”

Liverpool has 14 days to appeal the ban. Meanwhile, Suarez is due to play in the league fixture at Wigan tonight.