Evra and Suarez

Share this article:

Fergie: Suarez is a disgrace

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has labelled Luis Suarez a “disgrace” and feels Liverpool would be better off without him.

Ferguson’s outburst followed an ill-tempered meeting between the rivals on Saturday, with the Red Devils prevailing 2-1 thanks to a Wayne Rooney brace.

Before the tie Suarez refused to shake hands with Patrice Evra. Suarez recently completed an eight-match ban for racially insulting the Frenchman during a match in October.

United defender Rio Ferdinand then declined to shake Suarez’s hand, setting the tone for an abrasive afternoon at Old Trafford.

At half-time, Evra and Suarez reportedly had words in the tunnel, while the former inflamed matters when he wildly celebrated United’s victory at the final whistle in a clear attempt to goad Suarez.

Ferguson, however, only sees one villain in the piece.

“For a club with their history, I’d get rid of him, I really would,” said Ferguson.

“Liverpool Football Club have a player banned for eight matches and they’ve tried to blame Patrice Evra. It’s him they should be bloody blaming. He could have cost them a European place.

“I couldn’t believe it. I just could not believe it. We had a chat this morning and Patrice said, ‘I’m going to shake his hand, I have nothing to be ashamed of, I’m going to keep my dignity.’ And he refuses.

“He is a disgrace to Liverpool Football Club. That player should not be allowed to play for Liverpool again. The history that club has got ... and he does that today. It could have caused a riot.

“I was really disappointed in that guy.”

Ferguson felt Suarez’s pre-match actions sullied the encounter from the start.

“It created a tension,” said Ferguson. “You have seen, the referee didn’t know what to do about it. It caught him off guard.

“It was a terrible start to the game, a terrible atmosphere it created.”

The Scot added: “Having the handshake is a different issue altogether,” he said. “That started with the Premier League but it’s never been a problem really up until this situation regarding racism.

“We’ve really got to get our house in order in terms of fighting racism. It’s an issue, an absolutely important issue in this country.

“Football has come a long way from the days of John Barnes, people throwing bananas at him but we can’t go back. We have to go forward in a positive way and ban it all together.”