The Football Thread 2011/12

[Psychic]

If I was Suarez I wouldn't have shaken Evra's hand as my take on the situation is that Evra attempted a character assassination on me.

If I was Evra I would have celebrated like a loon at the end and rubbed it in the other teams faces.

In short, I don't really have a problem with either player's actions.

Like its been said. If Suarez wasn't guilty, he would have appealed.

That's just simply not true.

Then why didn't he appeal? Care to explain?

The chances of getting the ban overturned even if he wasn't guilty were extremely low. I'm not saying Suarez is or isn't guilty because frankly I'm almost past caring, but it does seem to me sometimes that if a case goes to an independent tribunal then the chances are the FA have already decided there is likely to be a guilty verdict. If the only thing he expected from an appeal was an increased ban then the choice to accept the initial ban seems obvious. I recall this from last year.

However, Stuart Gilhooly, a leading football solicitor, described the 99.5% "conviction" rate as "extraordinary".

With none of those 471 cases being overturned on appeal, he said the FA's system needed urgent review.

"A body with that sort of conviction rate needs to look at its procedures," said Gilhooly, a legal representative for the Professional Footballers' Association of Ireland who has worked on a number of key cases for the Football Association of Ireland.

"It is as if you are guilty until proven innocent and that is not in the interests of justice."

“I'm surprised that the figure is so high. The percentage of 'not proven' cases is negligible”

By way of comparison, Crown Court conviction rates were just over 80% in 2009.

"The comparison with the public criminal law system is unfortunate, as we are not comparing apples with apples - they are fundamentally different," said the FA spokesman.

Another sports lawyer, who preferred not be named, described the FA as "police, judge and jury all rolled into one".

He added: "Your chances of success before them, Uefa and Fifa are virtually nil.

"I seldom advise clients to have a personal hearing. Sentences can be extended almost without limitation."

I'm not sure the way they decide on a result helps those figures though, what with deciding what was the most likely thing to happen based on the percentages rather than needing concrete proof. The judgement published following the Evra/Suarez case is a decent example of this.

[Mr Luke]

If I was Suarez I wouldn't have shaken Evra's hand as my take on the situation is that Evra attempted a character assassination on me.

If I was Evra I would have celebrated like a loon at the end and rubbed it in the other teams faces.

In short, I don't really have a problem with either player's actions.

Like its been said. If Suarez wasn't guilty, he would have appealed.

That's just simply not true.

Then why didn't he appeal? Care to explain?

It depends whether you're going to care to even bother considering what I have to say. I get the impression your mind is well and truly made up about the whole thing anyway. A few posts ago I tried to offer a different view point and got called a strawberry floating idiot.

[Joer]

Ouch. Nasty from Sessegnon on Arteta. Can't have been to far away from being judged from being a stamp.

[Kanbei]

Only one person extending their hand in this picture.

THE RACIST!

Really?

[Fuzzy Dunlop]

Tbf, looking at that picture Suarez is offering the handshake, Evra may have took too long to accept it?

[Joer]

Looks like Evra doesn't want to shake his hand, but will reluctantly do it if he offers, but Suarez just goes straight for Rio.

[Skippy]

Fourth! \o/

[Moggy]

Tbf, looking at that picture Suarez is offering the handshake, Evra may have took too long to accept it?

That is just the angle. He snubbed Evra and I think even the Liverpool fans agree with that.

[Mr Luke]

at Phil Dowd.

One of the better referees in this league.

[Preezy]

De Gea didn't have a clue what was going in during the handshakes

[degoose]

Only one person extending their hand in this picture.

THE RACIST!

that was for De Gea , but carry on your doing well.

[Skippy]

One more match from Henry, and then Chamakh returns

[Cuttooth]

:lol: at Phil Dowd.

One of the better referees in this league.

He's probably the worst of the lot!

[Rik]

Tbf, looking at that picture Suarez is offering the handshake, Evra may have took too long to accept it?

Watch it on the BBC website, he just misses Evra out.

[degoose]

:lol: at Phil Dowd.

One of the better referees in this league.

He's probably the worst of the lot!

i thought that was foy

[Fuzzy Dunlop]

Tbf, looking at that picture Suarez is offering the handshake, Evra may have took too long to accept it?

That is just the angle. He snubbed Evra and I think even the Liverpool fans agree with that.

Yeah that's the way it looked in motion for sure. Like you say it's probably the angle of the photo, quite deceiving.

[Minto]

De Gea didn't have a clue what was going in during the handshakes

Some of the abuse that Stan Collymore has gotten on twitter today is a strawberry floating joke. Some fans

[Dark Ritual]

Jesus christ. Has this thread really reduced it's self to arguing the analysis of a still shot of a handshake?

strawberry floating hell.

[PuppetBoy]

Swansea letting Norwich above us

2-1 loss isn't bad. I thought we'd lose considering Arsenal have had a week off and Sunderland had to play extra time against 'Boro. I'll never understand why MO'N doesn't seem to use his subs to freshen the side up towards the end of a game. Anyway, shoe will be on the other foot next week after they have to travel to Milan mid week.

C'mon Spurs!

[TigaSefi]

Isn't Walton the worst referee?

Dowd had a good game actually.