Reina: Suarez definitely not racist

Liverpool goalkeeper Jose Reina believes striker Luis Suarez has been "crucified" over his racism charge.

The Uruguay international was given an eight-match ban by the Football Association on Tuesday after being found guilty of misconduct for using insulting words to Patrice Evra which included a reference to the Manchester United defender's colour.

Liverpool are expected to appeal the punishment and they have 14 days from receiving the independent commission's decision to decide their course of action.

Reina believes the 24-year-old, who was targeted with chants of "racist" and "cheat" in Wednesday night's goalless draw at Wigan, has been treated unfairly.

The Liverpool players issued a statement backing the player before the game and during their warm-up all wore T-shirts depicting an image of Suarez and his name and number seven.

"We are all right behind him. He has our full support," said the Spain international.

"We made a statement earlier and we said what we thought was the truth.

"We were together from the very first minute (of the allegations) and it is the minimum we can do for him.

"He is not racist. I am 100% he is not racist and he has been accused of racism.

"We showed our support to Luis. We want him and everyone to know we are right behind our team-mate because he is a lovely guy and he has been crucified by some people and it is not fair.

"Eight games is not even close to be fair."

Reina said the threat of losing Suarez for an extended period would be a blow, but felt the player was coping well with the situation, which has been on-going since mid-October.

"The most important thing is he is doing his job for the team," added the goalkeeper.

"He played well for the team (against Wigan) and he has to keep playing and help the team as much as he can.

"Obviously we are going to enjoy him as long as we can and then we will see what happens."

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Torres rebukes Liverpool 'lies'

Fernando Torres claims Liverpool were not honest about his departure from the club.

The Chelsea striker left Anfield in January for a British-record £50million fee.

And the Spaniard told Canal+ Liga TV that the version of the story that has been told to the public is not true.

"The Liverpool fans don't know the truth about why I signed for Chelsea," he said

"The fans don't even know half of what happened. They don't know what the people in charge at Liverpool are like - they have a completely different perception of what they are like.

"They made promises that they didn't keep and I left because I realised I didn't have time to be part of a project that would take years.

"I have nothing against the Liverpool fans. I didn't want to leave Liverpool the way I did but the club lied. I was let down and I don't understand why the fans hate me."

And of his current struggles at Chelsea, for whom he has scored just three times in the league since arriving, Torres said: "It's true that Vicente Del Bosque is worried about me and my form for Chelsea. It's up to me to go back to being the striker I was before.

"If I go back to how I was a few years ago, I will again play an important role in the Spanish national team.

"I am going to try to be very humble and get back into the Chelsea starting line-up. My form has not been good but I am world and European champion and I deserve more respect.

"It's hard being on the bench but I respect the players who are playing. I'm going to support the team and get back in."

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Dalglish disappointed by Wigan draw

Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish did not hide his disappointment after his side were held to a goalless draw against Wigan on Wednesday.

The Reds looked to be handed another win on the road after being awarded a penalty in the 51st minute following a hand-ball by Gary Caldwell.

But Charlie Adam's effort was saved by keeper Ali Al Habsi as Wigan held on to a valuable point against the Reds.

Speaking after the match, Dalglish admitted his disappointment not to have picked up three points.

"Obviously we were disappointed not to come away with the three points. We started really well for 20 minutes, they got back in it a wee bit, but I think in the second half we controlled the game," he told the club's official website.

"We made a few chances, they had a few efforts at goal as well, but I think overall we are happy with the performance. It's a hard-fought draw to come here and get a point.

"As I said, the first 20 minutes, when the pitch wasn't too bad, was when we played our best football. The longer the game went on, the more difficult it was for us to play the way we like to play.

Despite dropping further points in their quest for a top-four spot, Dalglish praised his players' efforts.

He added: "They (the players) kept getting in there, kept going and even right at the death they wanted to get the three points, which left us a wee bit exposed at the back.

"That's a fault we can correct, but at the end of the day you can't fault people's determination and efforts. They were a credit tonight with the effort they put into the game. "

The draw leaves the Reds sixth in the table as they host Blackburn next on 26 December.

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Wigan 0 - 0 Liverpool

Ali Al-Habsi saved a Charlie Adam penalty and made a string of other fine saves to help Wigan hold Liverpool to a point at the DW Stadium.

Luis Suarez won the second-half penalty when his overhead kick was handled by Gary Caldwell.

Dirk Kuyt also went close but he fired over from just six yards out.

Wigan played their part in a pulsating encounter and Hugo Rodallega could have snatched all three points with a header in the closing stages.

Liverpool enjoyed the best chances throughout, but their wastefulness in front of goal cost them victory in an open game that was theirs for the taking.

Wigan's footballing principles are laudable and this draw,coupled with the point picked up against Chelsea in their last outing, can give them plenty of confidence in their latest relegation battle.

During the pre-match warm-up, Liverpool's players joined manager Kenny Dalglish in sporting t-shirts with an image of Luis Suarez printed on the front.

The Uruguay forward has been banned for eight games and fined £40,000 by the FA for racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra at Anfield on 15 October.

The striker started the game - the suspension does not start until the appeal process is over - and was cheered and jeered in equal measure by the rival sets of supporters.

PENALTY PROBLEMSLiverpool have missed four penalties this season

And while Liverpool dominated in the opening half hour, Suarez was not the chief threat as he struggled to get into his stride.

It mattered very little while his team-mates were in such free-flowing form, with Al-Habsi making good saves from Jordan Henderson, Martin Skrtel, Dirk Kuyt and Glen Johnson before the home side finally broke into life.

While Wigan's slick passing game was getting them into trouble at the back, they were exciting in the final third and Roberto Martinez's side almost scored two goal-of-the-season contenders.

First, Mohamed Diame cracked a shot into the side-netting from 40 yards out and then Victor Moses embarked on an amazing run from his own half which only ended when his swerving shot was beaten clear by Jose Reina.

Suarez was brighter in the second half and had a free-kick tipped over the bar by Al-Habsi.

And he won a penalty in the 50th minute when his overhead effort was blocked by the hand of Caldwell.

Adam stepped up, but his spot-kick was spectacularly saved by Al-Habsi.

That appeared to knock the stuffing out of the visitors, who struggled to regroup.

However, they should have gone into the lead when Kuyt hooked over from just six yards out.

Wigan did enjoy good chances of their own, most notably when Rodallega's header was deflected behind by Johnson before Moses stabbed wide from the resulting corner.

But the points were destined to be shared, meaning it is now three games unbeaten for the ever-improving Latics, while Liverpool may live to rue two dropped points in the race for European qualification.

Wigan manager Roberto Martinez:

"It's not about the result, it's once more about the performance.

"We spoke about carrying on from Saturday. After the first 20 minutes, when we invited pressure by giving the ball away, we opened the game up and had some really good chances.

"We played eye-to-eye and it would have been a disaster to lose that game.

"It's another step forward."

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish:

"We're not out there to miss them (penalties)," he said.

"We're getting them, but you'd much rather be putting them away.

"In the second half we had most of the possession. We'll keep getting in there and see what happens.

"You feel for the players not taking opportunities, because we work really hard for them."

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Liverpool OFFICIAL Speech of Suarez Incident.

''Liverpool Football Club is very surprised and disappointed with the decision of the Football Association Commission to find Luis Suarez guilty of the charges against him.

We look forward to the publication of the Commission's Judgment. We will study the detailed reasons of the Commission once they become available, but reserve our right to appeal or take any other course of action we feel appropriate with regards to this situation.  

We find it extraordinary that Luis can be found guilty on the word of Patrice Evra alone when no-one else on the field of play - including Evra's own Manchester United teammates and all the match officials - heard the alleged conversation between the two players in a crowded Kop goalmouth while a corner kick was about to be taken.

The Club takes extremely seriously the fight against all forms of discrimination and has a long and successful track record in work relating to anti-racist activity and social inclusion. We remain committed to this ideal and equality for all, irrespective of a person's background.

LFC considers racism in any form to be unacceptable - without compromise. It is our strong held belief, having gone over the facts of the case, that Luis Suarez did not commit any racist act. It is also our opinion that the accusation by this particular player was not credible - certainly no more credible than his prior unfounded accusations.

It is key to note that Patrice Evra himself in his written statement in this case said 'I don't think that Luis Suarez is racist'. The FA in their opening remarks accepted that Luis Suarez was not racist.

Luis himself is of a mixed race family background as his grandfather was black. He has been personally involved since the 2010 World Cup in a charitable project which uses sport to encourage solidarity amongst people of different backgrounds with the central theme that the colour of a person's skin does not matter; they can all play together as a team.

He has played with black players and mixed with their families whilst with the Uruguay national side and was Captain at Ajax Amsterdam of a team with a proud multi-cultural profile, many of whom became good friends.

It seems incredible to us that a player of mixed heritage should be accused and found guilty in the way he has based on the evidence presented. We do not recognise the way in which Luis Suarez has been characterised.

It appears to us that the FA were determined to bring charges against Luis Suarez, even before interviewing him at the beginning of November. Nothing we have heard in the course of the hearing has changed our view that Luis Suarez is innocent of the charges brought against him and we will provide Luis with whatever support he now needs to clear his name.

We would also like to know when the FA intend to charge Patrice Evra with making abusive remarks to an opponent after he admitted himself in his evidence to insulting Luis Suarez in Spanish in the most objectionable of terms. Luis, to his credit, actually told the FA he had not heard the insult.''

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Luis Suarez waits on Patrice Evra case verdict

Liverpool's Luis Suarez could find out on Tuesday whether he has been found guilty on charges of racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra.

A Football Association hearing has heard claims Suarez used derogatory language in a confrontation during a match at Anfield on 15 October.

The Independent Regulatory Commission said on Friday it would not deliver a verdict until Tuesday at the earliest.

Suarez has been supported by his club in his denying the charge.

The 24-year-old striker told media in Uruguay that he "called him something his team-mates at Manchester call him".

The hearing, in front of a three-man panel, started on Wednesday and both players were expected to give evidence which could revolve around different cultural interpretations of any term used by Suarez.

A verdict had been expected on Friday, but was delayed as the Commission worked through the weekend.

Evra made his claims immediately after the match and was quoted as telling French TV station Canal Plus: "There are cameras, you can see [Suarez] say a certain word to me at least 10 times."

The Frenchman reported his complaint after the game to match referee Andre Marriner who included it in his report.

Suarez is facing a separate charge from the FA over an alleged abusive hand gesture he made as he left the pitch following Liverpool's 1-0 defeat by Fulham on 5 December.

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