LUIS SUAREZ WILL begin serving his eight-match ban against Manchester City tonight after Liverpool decided not to appeal the FA charge.
In two lengthy statements released this evening, the club and the player himself have come to the conclusion that they will not challenge the ban which he received after being found guilty of racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra.
The 24-year-old won’t now return to first team action until their fixture against Manchester United on February 11, in what will no doubt be a heated atmosphere at Old Trafford.
“It is our strongly held conviction that the Football Association and the panel it selected constructed a highly subjective case against Luis Suarez based on an accusation that was ultimately unsubstantiated,” the statement begins.
“The FA panel has damaged the reputation of one the Premier League’s best players, deciding he should be punished and banned for perhaps a quarter of a season,” it continues.
Suarez himself added: “I will carry out the suspension with the resignation of someone who hasn’t done anything wrong and who feels extremely upset by the events.”
