Monthly Archives: April 2013

Suarez’s controversial history led to 10-game ban, claims Wenger

Leave a reply

The Arsenal manager believes that past offences by the Uruguayan striker have been key to the FA’s decision to award such a lengthy ban on the 26-year-old for biting Ivanovic

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger claims Luis Suarez’s 10-match Liverpool ban was a product of his controversial past.

The Uruguayan striker has accepted a three-match suspension for violent conduct and has until 12pm today to lodge an appeal against an additional seven-match punishment.

And Wenger believes that the 26-year-old’s previous offences have been key in terms of the FA handing out the proposed ban on Suarez.

“I believe history has gone against him and that’s why he has been punished so severely,” Wenger told reporters at his weekly press conference on Friday.

Suarez has been a controversial figure in his eight year career to date. He was banned for seven games whilst playing for Ajax after biting PSV Eindhoven midfielder Otman Bakkal’s shoulder during a match in November 2010.

Since signing for Liverpool for around £23 million, the controversy continued with Suarez handed an eight-match ban and £40,000 fine by the FA for racially abusing Manchester United left-back Patrice Evra in December 2011. During the following fixture in February, Suarez refused to shake Evra‘s hand – causing further problems for the South American striker.

And earlier this year, Suarez caused more trouble for Liverpool’s image when his handball directly led to him scoring the winning goal in Liverpool’s 2–1 victory over Mansfield Town in the FA Cup third round.

Newcastle – Liverpool Preview: Rodgers begins life without suspended Suarez

Leave a reply
Jonas Gutiérrez / Newcastle

Jonas Gutiérrez / Newcastle

Newcastle continue to be plagued by injury concerns, with Tim Krul (shoulder) and Sylvain Marveaux (hamstring) both set to miss out.

Newcastle captain Fabricio Coloccini has returned to training following a back injury but this match will come too soon for the Argentine.

Alan Pardew has received a boost as Papiss Cisse and Cheikh Tiote are both set to start against Liverpool.

Tiote’s return means James Perch is likely to drop to the bench, though Alan Pardew is likely to retain the rest of the starting eleven which earned a 1-1 draw against West Brom last Saturday.

For Liverpool, Brendan Rodgers’ begins life without Luis Suarez after the Uruguay international was handed a 10-match suspension for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic.

Daniel Sturridge, who scored and assisted Suarez’s equaliser against Chelsea last Sunday, is likely to start in attack.

Fabio Borini has returned to training and could return to the squad for the first time since he dislocated his shoulder against Swansea in February.

  • The Magpies finished 16th that season and currently sit in the same position this season, having only managed one win in their last seven Premier League games.
  • Newcastle United have used 32 different players – the most of any Premier League side this season.
  • Before their 3-0 home defeat against Sunderland, Papiss Cisse (pictured right) had scored in five successive home games, with three of those five goals coming in injury time.
  • Liverpool‘s Luis Suarez, who starts his 10-game ban, has scored or assisted 46% of the Reds’ league goals this season, playing a part in 28 of their 61 goals.
  • This match is Liverpool’s last chance to grab a win in April as they have endured a tricky month. Brendan Rodgers’ men have drawn all three of their games, including consecutive goalless ties against West Ham and Reading.
  • Liverpool have also been caught offside more often than any other Premier League team this season – 97 times to date.

New Hillsborough inquests to begin in early 2014

Leave a reply

Lord Goldring confirms that he will begin hearings early next year despite protests from the Police Federation against holding them concurrently to investigations into the cover-up

A new round of inquests into the deaths of 96 Liverpool supporters at Hillsborough will begin in early 2014.

The renewed hearings have been awaited since the original verdicts of accidental death were quashed in December by the High Court.
 
Lord Goldring, the coroner who is to head up the inquests, confirmed to an assembly of families and campaigners in London on Thursday that the hearings should go ahead on schedule despite protestations from the Police Federation about  doing so while investigations into the cover-up of the disaster continue.

“Anne s’s death is a powerful reminder, if one were needed, that there is an urgency attaching to the commencement of the inquest hearings as well as a need for that investigation to be as full as possible,” he declared.

A venue is to be decided for the hearings in the following week, Lord Goldring added.

Supporters across the country marked the 24th anniversary of the disaster on the weekend of April 15, the first since last year’s Hillsborough Independent Panel released its report detailing the extent of the tragedy and the resulting cover-up.