Today, Barcelona striker Luis Suarez still maintained that he did not hurl racist comments at Patrice Evra back in 2011. The controversial former Liverpool forward was found guilty and served an eight-match ban for what he did but has always refused to apologize to the full back. He even snubbed Evra’s handshake when the pair met again on the pitch.
The 33-year-old Evra was signed to Manchester United in January 2006 from Monaco for $8 million. He moved to Juventus in the summer.
Suarez was asked in an interview with Barcelona’s official website (so you know this is real, genuine, independent, hard-hitting journalism here) if he had any regrets about his career which has been darkened by multiple off-the-pitch issues.
“When I say I’m sorry it’s because I regret something,” Suarez said. “Being sorry implies regret. But they have also sometimes judged me on things that aren’t true, such as the racism thing.
“I was accused without evidence and that’s what grieved me the most. The others were actions when it was me who did wrong. I accepted that and begged forgiveness, but the racism thing, when I was accused without evidence, that did upset me.”
So Suarez maintains his innocence in regards to the Patrice Evra incident. However he did apologize for his bite on Italian Giorgio Chiellini during the World Cup.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and very often writes The Sports Bank.net ,which is partners with Fox Sports. Read his features stories in the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. Listen to him on 1620 The Zone. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks). His work has been featured in hundreds of media outlets including The Washington Post and ESPN 2