Liverpool urged not to contest Luis Suárez ban by anti-racism group

Piara Powar, the executive director of Football Against Racism in Europe, has urged Liverpool and Luis Suárez not to appeal against the eight-match ban and £40,000 fine imposed by the Football Association for making racist comments about Manchester United's Patrice Evra. Powar, a former director of the anti-racism organisation Kick It Out, said in a statement: "The Football Association's published judgment from the Suárez–Evra incident is welcome. "It appears the FA have taken their time to initiate a process that was both fair in its implementation of football rules, and in accordance with the principles of British justice. As an international non-governmental organisation we [Fare] think the investigation and judgment sets the bar for governing bodies globally." Powar's response comes after the FA independent commission that found Suárez guilty published a 115-page document detailing its findings in the case relating to the incident between the two players that took place during the match between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield on 15 October. "Racial abuse between players on the field of play has been an unspoken taboo for too long, an area that has been unsatisfactorily dealt with by English football despite many cases over the past 10 years," Powar added. Liverpool have been criticised for their vehement support of the striker – including wearing T-shirts bearing the player's name before the Premier League match at Wigan on 21 December – before the FA commission had published its full judgment. Powar believes the club must now take heed of the judgment, which deemed some of Suárez's evidence "inconsistent" and "unreliable", and reconsider their stance on the matter. "Luis Suarez and Liverpool FC have the right to appeal, however we would call on the club to think again about their public campaign to dispute the charges and contest the principles involved in the case. As a club with a good international standing the vehemency of their campaign is unquestionably causing them reputational harm."