The Handshake

Last Saturday was supposed to be a great day for English Football fans. After all, the most anticipated fixture of the season was going to be played at Old Trafford. Manchester United vs Liverpool, the most significant rivalry in English Football. All the post match talks should have been dominated by the analysis of tactics, performances and result. But sadly, Football is the last thing for which this game will be remembered. It was all about the handshake that didn't happen. Why it all came down to this?

About four months ago, after the game between the two clubs at Anfield, Patrice Evra accused Luis Suarez of addressing him using a racist word. The allegation was pretty serious. English FA pride themselves for the way they have stamped out racism from Football. They had to take action. What followed was a series of poor management decisions from the Liverpool camp. I must say that Kenny Dalglish lost a lot of respect in my book for his conduct during the whole episode. It is one thing to support your player but it is a completely different thing altogether to stick by him blindly. We are talking about a player whose profile is littered with controversies throughout his short career. A quick apology would have diffused the tension and put the matter to bed. Instead, Kenny went for 'us vs them' approach. The siege mentality works in your favor at times, as Ferguson and Mourinho would testify, but this matter required a different approach.

Luis Suarez himself admitted that he used the word. His argument was that in his country, Uruguay, that word is used in friendly conversations. But, the problem is that in England it is not. When you are working in a foreign country, a different culture you must understand what is acceptable and what is not. Suarez should have simply said that due to his ignorance he uttered that word and should have apologized for saying it. But, he and Liverpool maintained a stance that he used that word but what is the big deal about it. That left a bad taste. Even more disappointing was the vocal way in which Liverpool went about their business. Manchester United, on the other hand, didn't say a word about this incident in public. Patrice Evra lodged a complaint using proper channels.

An independent tribunal found Suarez guilty and banned him for 8 matches. The length of the ban may have been different if Suarez had apologized for his conduct in the aftermath of the incident. What followed was an even bigger farce. Liverpool players led by Kenny Dalglish wore T-shirts in support of Suarez. Media portrayed them as people who are supporting a racist. I must add that it is harsh to label Suarez a racist. From what I have read, it seems that the word is indeed acceptable in Uruguayan culture. But, in the context it was used, Evra had every right to complain. Suarez and Liverpool's stubbornness in this matter allowed the issue to escalate so much that it went out of their control.

I don't understand why Liverpool supporters call Evra a liar when Suarez himself admitted that he used the word. They booed him in a FA Cup match at Anfield. As a seasoned follower of the Premier League, I understand the boos. Evra got their best player banned. But, why call him a liar? The whole world sees the matter differently. The booing further damaged the reputation of Liverpool's supporters. People see them as supporting is racist which is very harsh but it is something that has been brought upon them by foolish behavior of their management.

Finally the big match arrived. Manchester United vs Liverpool. Suarez's return to the starting lineup after he served his ban. Dalglish said that Suarez would shake the hands of Patrice Evra before the match. But, when the time came, Suarez refused to do it. He finally had the chance to put the matter to bed but he chose not to. It flared up the tensions. There was a scuffle between both sets of players at half time. Evra's celebrations at the end of the match were wrong too, even though I enjoyed them. He had kept quiet during this whole saga. He had kept his dignity during the whole episode when Liverpool supporters called him a liar. It was time to let the emotions come out. As a Manchester United fan, it was the moment of the season for me.

Kenny Dalglish gave a bizarre post patch interview and made a laughing stock out of himself. Sir Alex Ferguson destroyed Luis Suarez's image by calling him a disgrace to Liverpool Football club. It was amusing to see the Manchester United manager reminding Liverpool of their traditions. Liverpool's image was tarnished severely. Their American owners, who had kept quite, had no option but to exercise their power. Suarez and Dalglish both apologized for their actions the next day. Amazingly they didn't apologize to Evra. It is baffling really. Here is a player who used a racist word in a heated exchange. Fine, he didn't use it on purpose. But, he did something which is not acceptable in English culture. He should have said sorry and moved on. It was a PR disaster from Liverpool's point of view. As a Manchester United fan, I loved every word of apology coming from Kenny Dalglish. He must be wondering how times have changed.