Hola. Hope you are well.
So the whole Suarez case has moved on since my last blog post. Aided by the disclosure of the 115 page report. I have to admit I’ve not read it. I could say it’s because I haven’t the time as I lead such a Rock and Roll lifestyle but I’d be lying, it’s just that I reckon it might be a slow read. Plus, like most people I like to draw my opinions from the snippets of info I read in the papers and on phone-in shows.
For what it’s worth (probably not much) I kind of feel a line probably needs to be drawn on this issue. Suarez is going to serve his 8 match ban. He has said he’s not going to use the term ‘negro’ again on a football pitch in England (I’m not sure about in other countries) and he’s released an apology of sorts. If I were advising him (and I’m not) I would strongly suggest that he makes a personal apology to Evra, expressing the fact that he hadn’t wished to cause Evra such offence. After all Evra expressed to the commission that he didn’t believe Suarez was racist.
I’m not naive enough to believe that in the heat of a verbal exchange Suarez used negro in the colloquial/matey way he suggested. He apparently backed this up by telling the commission that his wife uses that term as a pet name for him at home. This might be true but I would suggest that his relationship with his wife is different to the one he has with Evra.
Nor however do I believe that he realised how using that word in this country would be so negatively perceived. Having read Evra’s account of the verbal exchange, it appears to me that Suarez was trying to wind up Evra, of which it would appear he was successful in doing, as at one point Evra, threatens to punch Suarez if he uses the word again.
I also feel that those people who are trying to link this incident with what happened with Stephen Lawrence are making too many leaps. I can see why people have done this, and that’s to do with timing, as it coincided with the sentencing of Gary Dobson and David Norris for the murder of Stephen Lawrence. If this had happened six months ago, I doubt people would have linked the two incidents.
The problem I have with linking the two cases is that Stephen Lawrence was hunted down by a gang of 5 white youths, cornered, before being stabbed to death, for no other reason than the colour of his skin. And if this wasn’t bad enough the family had to suffer again at the hands of the police and then had to wait over 18 years to get some semblance of justice.
I’m hoping after this blog post, I can go back to poking fun at football and footballers, after all I’m a comedian (of sorts).
Til next time, stay safe!
Tags: comedian, comedy, football, football blog, funny football blog, julian daniel, the view from the trevor
