Fergie Says “Suarez a disgrace”

Sir Alex Ferguson says Luis Suarez is a ‘disgrace’ and should never play for Liverpool again after the striker refused to shake Manchester United captain Patrice Evra’s hand.

Suarez was making his first start for Liverpool at Old Trafford on Saturday since returning from an eight-match suspension after being found guilty of racially abusing Evra during the reverse meeting at Anfield in October.

Much of the pre-match build-up had been dominated by whether the two players would shake hands before kick-off but, after Evra offered his hand, Suarez ignored the gesture.

Evra then grabbed Suarez by the arm before the Uruguay international’s offer of a handshake was snubbed by United defender Rio Ferdinand.

There was subsequently a bust-up between the players in the tunnel at half-time before Evra celebrated United’s 2-1 win at the final whistle by jumping around near Suarez.

Red Devils boss Ferguson was stunned by Suarez’s refusal to shake Evra’s hand and offered a damning verdict after the match, which saw the champions move to the top of the Premier League table.

“I could not believe it, I just could not believe it,” Ferguson told Sky Sports.

“He’s a disgrace to Liverpool Football Club, that certain player should not be allowed to play for Liverpool again.

“The history that club’s got and he does that and in a situation like today could have caused a riot.

“I was really disappointed in that guy, it was terrible what he did”, Ferguson added: “It created a tension, you’ve 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.”

Asked if the pre-match handshakes should have been scrapped for the game as it was last month when John Terry and Anton Ferdinand faced each other, he said: “That’s a different issue altogether.

“It’s never been a problem really up until this situation regarding racism, it’s never been a problem.

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

“Football’s come a long way from the days of John Barnes when they were throwing bananas at him to where we are today. We can’t go back. We have to go forward in a positive way and ban it altogether.”

Evra enthusiastically celebrated the win in front of Suarez at the end and Ferguson admitted: “He shouldn’t have done that.”