Never buy the Mirror again

[moof]

Pretty tastless but then what do you expect from any tabloid, wait till they stick the boot into Terry, will be 10 times worst and allover the front pages too.

 

Hmmmm....

[TheDrowningMan]

Brian thinks the clubs gone the wrong way about it, it seems.

 

I think he probably has to be a bit of a patsy and write in a 'balanced' way, given the strength (stench?) of the editorial tone. It would be hard to see how he'd keep his job there otherwise.

[Sugar Ape]

Brian Reade column: Why Liverpool must draw clean line under Luis Suarez row or risk soiling the club's name - Brian Reade - MirrorFootball.co.uk

 

Around now it's customary to hand out jokey awards based on events in the past footballing year.

 

But after such a year, and particularly such an ending, jokes are out.

 

For weeks the game has struggled to come to terms with Gary Speed hanging himself. Before that it struggled to understand how Carlos Tevez could refuse to get off the bench and earn his £225,000-a-week, or how other multi-millionaires were allowed to buy injunctions which kept themselves above the law.

 

The World Cup bidding process stank of the same corruption that FIFA's top officials were found guilty of, and the words of Sepp Blatter, John Terry and Luis Suarez have evoked a national debate over racism.

 

The words used by all three may not be the same but they have created the context in which each has been judged.

 

Terry's comments cannot be discussed, other than to say he protests his innocence, but the global coverage given to the allegations against England's captain were no doubt in Blatter's mind when he bizarrely argued that a player who is racially abused should shrug it off by shaking the hand of his abuser.

 

Those words hardly caused a ripple of concern outside these shores. But in England, partly due to simmering anger towards Blatter, they evoked a hurricane of contempt. There was shock and disbelief that the head of world football could send out such a flippant response to an issue that scars humanity.

 

And they were undoubtedly behind the FA's unprecedented eight-match ban handed out to Suarez for "using offensive language" to Patrice Evra "that included an inappropriate reference to a person's colour."

 

Suarez denies he is a racist. Indeed the FA in their judgement and Evra in his statement do not accuse him of being one. His case states that he unknowingly used a word which is acceptable in Uruguay but not in Britain. The independent panel's almost impossible task was to decide whether ignorance is a defence. They decided it wasn't. And in the cold light of the present day they had little choice.

 

The rage from Anfield over the eight-game ban is understandable. They believe Suarez has not only been scapegoated but the unprecedented punishment makes it look like he's committed the worst act of racism ever heard on an English football pitch. Which he didn't.

 

But the truth is, he used the word "negro" to a black player who reported it to the FA. And he admitted it, before pleading cultural ignorance of its significance. In any other year that may have earned him a suspended sentence and a hefty fine. But following its ascent to the moral high-ground in condemning Blatter, English football was never going to leave itself open to charges of hypocrisy on this subject.

 

Especially with the country's captain facing criminal charges. Had Terry been found guilty sooner and dealt with, he would have been made the example of. As it turns out Suarez got there first and is taking the rap. Terry's may be coming down the line.

 

The Suarez case is an incredibly complex one to pass judgment on, and until the full report of proceedings is published, we don't know if it contains facts which support Liverpool's or the FA's stance. But Liverpool, in their rage, have to tread carefully.

 

To reject outright that Suarez used an unacceptable word, even through ignorance, is to let down a proud tradition of zero-tolerance against racism that goes back to the days when John Barnes faced it on a weekly basis.

 

It leaves the club open to the charge that they don't believe the time has come for football to turn its anti-racist slogans into unequivocal actions.

 

Appeal to clear Suarez's name by all means, but drop the protest shirts and the siege mentality, because the issue is far too sensitive, and the club's reputation far too precious, for such an aggressive stance.

 

The scale of Suarez's punishment may seem unduly large but Liverpool FC, football and how we treat fellow human beings, is bigger than it.

[Bobby Hundreds]

How about Suarez and how he's been treated as a human being Brian, we don't know the facts and the FA have judged him and left him hanging whilst the rest of the country slates him. The club believe he is innocent and if that's the case they must fight tooth and nail to try and clear his name.

[TheDrowningMan]

It's not an "unacceptable word", it's a word he'll have used his entire life. As he was talking in his native language, it was perfectly acceptable! If he'd used a racially questionable word IN ENGLISH then he'd have used an "unacceptable" word.

[SCOUSE TAPAS]

Brian Reade column: Why Liverpool must draw clean line under Luis Suarez row or risk soiling the club's name - Brian Reade - MirrorFootball.co.uk

 

Around now it's customary to hand out jokey awards based on events in the past footballing year.

 

But after such a year, and particularly such an ending, jokes are out.

 

For weeks the game has struggled to come to terms with Gary Speed hanging himself. Before that it struggled to understand how Carlos Tevez could refuse to get off the bench and earn his £225,000-a-week, or how other multi-millionaires were allowed to buy injunctions which kept themselves above the law.

 

The World Cup bidding process stank of the same corruption that FIFA's top officials were found guilty of, and the words of Sepp Blatter, John Terry and Luis Suarez have evoked a national debate over racism.

 

The words used by all three may not be the same but they have created the context in which each has been judged.

 

Terry's comments cannot be discussed, other than to say he protests his innocence, but the global coverage given to the allegations against England's captain were no doubt in Blatter's mind when he bizarrely argued that a player who is racially abused should shrug it off by shaking the hand of his abuser.

 

Those words hardly caused a ripple of concern outside these shores. But in England, partly due to simmering anger towards Blatter, they evoked a hurricane of contempt. There was shock and disbelief that the head of world football could send out such a flippant response to an issue that scars humanity.

 

And they were undoubtedly behind the FA's unprecedented eight-match ban handed out to Suarez for "using offensive language" to Patrice Evra "that included an inappropriate reference to a person's colour."

 

Suarez denies he is a racist. Indeed the FA in their judgement and Evra in his statement do not accuse him of being one. His case states that he unknowingly used a word which is acceptable in Uruguay but not in Britain. The independent panel's almost impossible task was to decide whether ignorance is a defence. They decided it wasn't. And in the cold light of the present day they had little choice.

 

The rage from Anfield over the eight-game ban is understandable. They believe Suarez has not only been scapegoated but the unprecedented punishment makes it look like he's committed the worst act of racism ever heard on an English football pitch. Which he didn't.

 

But the truth is, he used the word "negro" to a black player who reported it to the FA. And he admitted it, before pleading cultural ignorance of its significance. In any other year that may have earned him a suspended sentence and a hefty fine. But following its ascent to the moral high-ground in condemning Blatter, English football was never going to leave itself open to charges of hypocrisy on this subject.

 

Especially with the country's captain facing criminal charges. Had Terry been found guilty sooner and dealt with, he would have been made the example of. As it turns out Suarez got there first and is taking the rap. Terry's may be coming down the line.

 

The Suarez case is an incredibly complex one to pass judgment on, and until the full report of proceedings is published, we don't know if it contains facts which support Liverpool's or the FA's stance. But Liverpool, in their rage, have to tread carefully.

 

To reject outright that Suarez used an unacceptable word, even through ignorance, is to let down a proud tradition of zero-tolerance against racism that goes back to the days when John Barnes faced it on a weekly basis.

 

It leaves the club open to the charge that they don't believe the time has come for football to turn its anti-racist slogans into unequivocal actions.

 

Appeal to clear Suarez's name by all means, but drop the protest shirts and the siege mentality, because the issue is far too sensitive, and the club's reputation far too precious, for such an aggressive stance.

 

The scale of Suarez's punishment may seem unduly large but Liverpool FC, football and how we treat fellow human beings, is bigger than it.

 

So he i s saying its negro he used.I think for the fact it is that and not negrito he used will change some peoples take upon the case.

[skend04]

I'm sorry but as much as i like reading Brian's columns the article is rubbish. To meekly accept a ridiculous 8 match ban for putting an English spin on Spanish conversation and word would be against LFC traditions. It isn't LFC who have knocked the KickItOut campaign back years, it's the FA and the sanctimonious hack journos who are doing that...oh and why aren't papers and the media making more of Barnse's interview? Is it cos he is black?

[Dante]

Et tu, Brian?

[robbiegod]

We are becoming defensive because the whole country is turning against us and our player, Luis has admitted using the word once but is accused of using it 10 times? That turns the context from a reaction ( from being called something himself) to provocation and insulting, the club believe he is being hung out to dry and he is being classed as a racist to the wider public weather or not the panel claimed he is or not he will be judged as one by the public, and that could and probably hang over him for the rest of his career and life, so yes we are supporting him and are behind him, we don't and never will say racism is right, you only have to look at the clubs stance on it but we won't and never will see one of our own publically fucked... Luis is not racist so why should he be portrayed as one in the public?

 

I was hoping this would go away quietly but now it isn't we should fight it all the way

 

YNWA Luis

 

Fuck you the daily mirror

[TheDrowningMan]

So he i s saying its negro he used.I think for the fact it is that and not negrito he used will change some peoples take upon the case.

 

The "fact" it is that?

 

Fuck off.

 

Even "negro" in itself isn't necessarily a pejorative. Everyone with a brain knows that.

[RobbieOR]

Brian thinks the clubs gone the wrong way about it, it seems.

 

He has? What has he said?

 

Edit: Just read the thread.

[robbiegod]

So he i s saying its negro he used.I think for the fact it is that and not negrito he used will change some peoples take upon the case.

 

 

How does he know? The report hasn't been released so does he know it was negro? Didn't Luis admit it was negrito?

[TheDrowningMan]

I'm sorry but as much as i like reading Brian's columns the article is rubbish. To meekly accept a ridiculous 8 match ban for putting an English spin on Spanish conversation and word would be against LFC traditions. It isn't LFC who have knocked the KickItOut campaign back years, it's the FA and the sanctimonious hack journos who are doing that...oh and why aren't papers and the media making more of Barnse's interview? Is it cos he is black?

 

I have wondered that about the John Barnes piece, and I can only reach the conclusion that it's because he's not towing the line as a black man is expected to by our society. Heigh-ho! Heigh-ho!

[swarveone]

you bought it in the first place? nevermind dont buy the sun, they are all a load of bollox.

[robbiegod]

you bought it in the first place? nevermind dont buy the sun, they are all a load of bollox.

 

 

There are ways to see the peices without actually buying them... Redtops can fuck right off for me... I don't and never will again

[Guest San Don]

Brian thinks the clubs gone the wrong way about it, it seems.

 

We wont be seeing him any time soon on LFC.tv then!

 

I disagree with him. We most certainly wont win this with a charm offensive or by treading softly softly.

[robbiegod]

We wont be seeing him any time soon on LFC.tv then!

 

I disagree with him. We most certainly wont win this with a charm offensive or by treading softly softly.

 

 

 

Utterly agree, doesn't mean we are making light of racism as a whole but we won't see one of our own fucked over

[Strontium]

If you start from the position that Suarez isn't guilty of any wrongdoing, then the response from the club and players has been 100% spot on. But no journalist, including Reade, seems willing to even countenance the possibility that Suarez is innocent of wrongdoing.

 

In this instance, I don't think it's correct to call them "journalists". Spineless supine shills for a corrupt football authority is more like it. Reade is trying to play both sides of the fence, so he's not just a shill, he's a two-faced cunt an' all.

[robbiegod]

Brian reade is losing a lot of respect with this peice... Shame

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

If you start from the position that Suarez isn't guilty of any wrongdoing, then the response from the club and players has been 100% spot on. But no journalist, including Reade, seems willing to even countenance the possibility that Suarez is innocent of wrongdoing.

 

In this instance, I don't think it's correct to call them "journalists". Spineless supine shills for a corrupt football authority is more like it. Reade is trying to play both sides of the fence, so he's not just a shill, he's a two-faced cunt an' all.

 

How have you dealt with the last few days. No doubt you've been having 'discussions', just like I have, on the technical points. People seem to be fucking stupid and totally ignorant of what it means to be racist or what constitutes racism. They have no desire to look at the complex factors of this case. It's been a real nightmare.

 

Some people won't even type the word 'negrito', let alone the word nigger, as if by saying these words as they're typed in the dictionary somehow makes you a racist.

[Guest San Don]

Im sorry but I have trouble with this

 

Suarez denies he is a racist. Indeed the FA in their judgement and Evra in his statement do not accuse him of being one. His case states that he unknowingly used a word which is acceptable in Uruguay but not in Britain. The independent panel's almost impossible task was to decide whether ignorance is a defence. They decided it wasn't. And in the cold light of the present day they had little choice.

 

The rage from Anfield over the eight-game ban is understandable. They believe Suarez has not only been scapegoated but the unprecedented punishment makes it look like he's committed the worst act of racism ever heard on an English football pitch. Which he didn't.

 

But the truth is, he used the word "negro" to a black player who reported it to the FA. And he admitted it, before pleading cultural ignorance of its significance. In any other year that may have earned him a suspended sentence and a hefty fine. But following its ascent to the moral high-ground in condemning Blatter, English football was never going to leave itself open to charges of hypocrisy on this subject.

 

The problem with zero tolerance is exactly that, there is no tolerance. There is no account of what is acceptable elsewhere, how foreign people will frequently revert to their native language when in a pressure situation.

 

My aunt is German. Having lived in the UK for nearly 40 years shoe speaks good english. But she admits when she has to do calculations, she does them in german first then translates to english. Ocassionally, even now she struggles with an english word or phrase when discussing things. She's say the word or phrase in german then translate.

 

Suarez has hardly been here 6 months and judging by tonights LFC.tv, he had to have a few goes at saying happy christmas in english.

 

I do not think it at all surprising that when in the exchange with evra after he said get off me south american suarez reverted to spanish 'porque negrito?' not becaude he thought he could get away with saying 'you wot black?' but because he flaming english isnt good and he needed to respond to his opponent quickly.

 

As far as Im aware Suarez doesnt directly claim he was unaware the terminology is unacceptable in the UK, more a case of what he said is frequently used in Uruguay (and if emily nugent's son can ask in a newspaper is calling someone a 'black cunt' racist, how the fuck can someone say 'porque negrito?' a common term in his own land be so?

 

Look, the law is an ass when its an absolute and has no allowance for people who are unfamiliar with our language, our culture and yes, our inbuilt desire to give johnny foreigner a good kicking at every opportunity that arises.

 

again, reade states Suarez used the word negro. Well fuck me, I didnt know negro is a racist word in the UK and I've been here all me fucking life! when you have pontificating footballers dining out at restaurants called 'elegato negro' and then calling a foreign non english speaker for using his own venacular including negrito, you just know that zero tolerance is not and cannot be right.

 

Reade needs to get on side and quick instead of playing the mirror group's fall guy playing the 'keep calm people' card.

[Jairzinho]

Load of shite from Reade.

[robbiegod]

I agree San don

 

Anyone who has played football at any level knows that the things that happen during games are for 99% of the time reactionary, evra says to him get you're hand off me you south American so Luis immediately comes back with "porque negrito " ... Essentially to him " you what mate" ( if I read it right) how can he be banned for 8 games and be judged as a racist by the wider public for that?

 

And why is evra not being pulled up for the original comment or the fact he claimed he said it ten times? It's a joke it really is

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

You know what all this boils down to, don't you? It's that Negrito/Negro sounds a bit like it might be the Spanish version of Nigger. That's the point where people have blasted out with their self-righteous indignation.

[robbiegod]

I think what it boils down to is people ( The FA, the press) have been waiting to jump all over something like this for a long time and it doesn't matter if the case is cut and dry or not