Just in-case this gets lost in the thread -
From Dr.
I'll be honest, for the last week or so I've been thinking about how I would react when these papers were released. I've almost been psyching myself up for it, because I had to actually entertain the idea that the findings would point to Suarez 100% using racist language, along with video evidence, witness statements, and all manner of hard evidence and proof to back up their verdict. I've had to entertain that idea knowing that I'd backed him to the hilt, and I've had to consider what my view would be if indeed it turned out that he had racially abused Evra and had every intention of doing so. It wasn't exactly easy to have to admit that you would need to turn your back on someone should they give you no choice, especially having been so unwavering in your support of them up until this moment.
Now it's almost something of a disappointment, and I know that sounds stupid because I obviously didn't wish for Luis Suarez to be 100% guilty of this, it's just that I did actually expect to have the proof in front of me and to have to make up my mind one way or another. Instead I'm met with this fucking nonsense. A 115 page document detailing how the FA have cherry picked which parts they'd like to believe and actually formed their judgement on probability alone. Not evidence, not proof, not corroboration - the three things you'd actually need in a court of law - but just solely on probability and who they'd like to believe is telling a version of the truth.
At the same time they've openly admitted to discrimination. They've chosen to ignore Luis Suarez's use of the word "negro" and subsequently an entire culture's use and definition of the word, because in good old England it can mean, can mean, something different. Nevermind that the conversation was instigated by Patrice Evra IN SPANISH, and that the entire conversation took place IN SPANISH, and that the context of the use of that word should therefore be considered as it is meant IN SPANISH, or that Patrice Evra was the one who started the argument with a slur on Suarez's family (later the FA decided that it didn't have to mean "your sister's c*nt", it could mean anything really) and then referred to his race as a reason for not wanting to be touched by him. As long as the FA have got their man then I'm guessing none of this matters.
Now, once again, we have to hear from the experts on the matter. The Daily Mail, Sky, the red tops, the ex-players (especially the black ex-players, they're the most important for some reason), the pundits, the journos, and everyone else underlining the juicy parts from the findings and reporting it to the unknowing like these are the only facts, all while a man once again has his life turned upside down because of probability, while he has his reputation tarnished on the words of another alone.
I wanted to be clear by now, and I really entertained the idea that I might just be wrong about Luis Suarez's side of things, and that I'd have to concede that he might just be as terrible as they all made out, and that the club might have embarrassed itself, and that we now all look very silly indeed. But none of that's happened. What HAS happened is that I have even less faith in this country and the sport's governing body than I had a week ago, and that's fucking saying something. I can't quite believe what I've read today, I really can't.