Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has reopened last season's racism row, which saw him banned for eight matches by the Football Association.
In an explosive television interview in his native Uruguay, Suarez said that people misinterpreted the handshake row between him and Manchester United’s Patrice Evra in February.
He also claimed that United 'controlled the politics of football' in England.
It is another revelation from a striker who, on his day, is one of the best around but never far away from controversy.
As a Liverpool fan myself, the row between him and Evra last season was tough to watch and digest. So, should the Reds keep one of their star assets, or sell him to avoid further indiscretions?
The interview
Ahead of his involvement with Uruguay in the forthcoming Olympic Games in London, Suarez gave an in-depth interview to Uruguayan TV show RR Gol. It reflected on his time at Anfield so far but there was no holding back from the 25-year-old.
He had plenty to say about the handshake row, claiming the British media portrayed it all differently to how he thinks it was played out.
Suarez said; “Before the match against Man United, I promised my wife, the manager and the directors that I was going to shake my hand with Evra. Why not, I thought, because I had no problems with him.
“I had been punished because of him but I had no problems with shaking hands. But I was not forced to greet him.
“The media in England showed the moment when I passed infront of him but they didn’t see that he had his hand low before. Only the media in Uruguay but also in Spain showed that I wanted to shake his hand.
“But in England, Man United has the political power and you have to respect that and shut your mouth.”
He also spoke about the emotion of the trial in December 2011, which led to his eight match suspension.
Suarez continued; “I don’t show my emotions in the field, you know but outside I do it, I cried a lot with all the Evra stuff.
“The trial week was so complicated for me. My wife and I cried a lot during that week. That’s when I realised who were the people who really support me and who were the people who were with me because of their personal interest.”
Having being under orders from the board at Anfield to not speak at length about the Evra incident and his ban, it is the last thing Liverpool need from a year that despite winning the League Cup, has been a nightmare to witness.
Keeping Suarez?
The arrival of Fabio Borini has added to the competition in the striking ranks at Liverpool.
There has been a lot of speculation about the future of Andy Carroll in recent days and with other potential striking outlets in Dirk Kuyt and Maxi Rodriguez having both gone, the club might have little option but to keep hold of Suarez.
That could be seen as a good thing because on the field, he is still a class act. His hat-trick at Norwich City at the backend of last season was one of immense quality and skill.
On the field, he was one of the brighter stars in LFC’s 2011-12 season, scoring 11 goals in the poor Premier League campaign.
On his day, defences will get sick of the sight of him and although he might not have the goalscoring predator ability that the likes of Ian Rush, Robbie Fowler and Fernando Torres had in years gone by, there is a lot more to Suarez’s game.
New manager Brendan Rodgers is likely to use him as a focal point in the new setup and with his known style of football; it could bring the best out of Suarez as a player in English football.
Many Liverpool fans are still waiting for a Suarez/Carroll partnership to develop and with Borini now around, that could turn out to be a Suarez/Borini deadly duo.
Technically, he is fantastic. Brilliant in the air, dangerous from a dead ball and always likely to work hard and help his team-mates out rather than be your selfish striker, who taps in every goal from two yards out.
Where does the buck stop though between club loyalty and making the difference on the pitch though?
Cashing in on trouble
As a world class player, it would be fair to say that Liverpool can’t afford to lose Luis Suarez, especially given the club’s plunge from a regular top four contender and a near title in 2009 to midtable mediocrity.
However, he hasn’t only damaged his own reputation but he has severely damaged the club’s reputation too.
Liverpool supported him thick and thin through the race row last season and that was fair enough when it was only an allegation and not proven.
However once the ban was in place, the whole situation should have been handled better by a club that used to be one of Europe’s most prestigious.
The media stunt of wearing Suarez’s t-shirts in the warm-up before the goalless stalemate at Wigan last December was daft to say the least, whilst Kenny Dalglish’s fiercely loyal stance towards his striker might have been the trigger in losing his job at the end of last season.
There has been talk over a new deal for Suarez but why would he deserve a new contract? The fans can be fickle and will forgive anything (remember Wayne Rooney’s desire to leave Manchester United in 2010), not forgetting the Carlos Tevez saga at Manchester City.
The fact is Suarez is trouble and bad news for Liverpool Football Club. Cashing in on him could be the only solution for both club and the English game in general.
This is an individual who does have a reputation for trouble. Not only was there his extra-time red card in the World Cup quarter-final for deliberate handball two years ago, he was banned for seven matches as an Ajax player for biting PSV Eindhoven’s Otmal Bakkal on the shoulder in his final months with the Amsterdam giants.
PSG and Juventus have been known to show some form of interest in recent months, so maybe an amicable parting of ways is best.
The final verdict
As a fan myself, I might applaud the skills of Luis Suarez but his attitude irritates me and his actions at Old Trafford last season were a disgrace.
When there have been figures touted around that the club will only listen to offers of around £20m for Andy Carroll, that’s the price tag I would put on Suarez, though that is more for his quality when playing football.
What the board can’t do is allow Suarez to get away without any sort of punishment for this latest outburst.
He was told to keep quiet and obviously, that hasn’t been the case. John W. Henry and Thomas Werner took some stick for how they dealt with replacing Dalglish, so they must get this decision right.
Liverpool might have ended a six year drought without silverware last season but largely disappointed overall and with a return to the Europa League this campaign, are back competing for four competitions.
Funds are known to be tight, especially after the expensive money spent on last season’s flops, Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing.
It is a tough decision to make over the future of Luis Suarez. Some will say ‘get rid of him,’ others will indicate; ‘keep him, he is world class.’
Either way, what Liverpool Football Club needs is a season where it is making the back pages of the papers for the right reasons and not the front pages for last season’s condemnation.
Once he has competed at the Olympics, Luis Suarez might have a few more apologises to make.
By Simon Wright – Follow me on Twitter @Siwri88
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