MAN UNITED MANAGER Alex Ferguson has spoken out in favour of the decision to hand Liverpool striker Luis Suarez an eight-game ban for alleged racial abuse.

The Uruguayan star has received both criticism and support from various football authorities since the ban was announced.

However in contrast with his colleague, Kenny Dalglish, Ferguson claimed the hefty ban imposed on Suarez was “the right decision”.

Speaking to reporters, he said:

“Our support of Patrice was obvious right from the word go and that’s still the same. The matter is over and I think we’re satisfied that they [the FA's independent commission] found the right decision. This wasn’t about Manchester United and Liverpool at all. It was nothing to do with that. This was an individual situation where one person was racially abused.”

And while Dalglish has maintained that the club are right to continue to support the player, Ferguson hinted they should stop protesting, comparing the situation to another Evra-related incident in which the left-back was involved in an argument with the Chelsea ground staff:

“Patrice got that suspension for the incident down at Chelsea when no one was there, just a groundsman and our fitness coach. He got a four-match ban and we had to wait two weeks for the evidence to come through. We were quite astounded at that. A four-match ban? We thought it was well over the top for a trivial incident. But it happened and there’s nothing you can do about it, you know.”

Suarez is alleged to have used the word “negro,” however his backers claim the misunderstanding was due to “cultural differences,” while others argue that this should be “no excuse” for the star.

Meanwhile, there was one piece of good news for Suarez. He has been announced as the 2011 Sky Sports Player of the Year, with the Liverpool Echo reporting of complaints that the vote was rigged.

Read: Are Liverpool FC players right to show solidarity with Luis Suarez?

Read: Taylor: cultural differences no excuse in Suarez affair>