All the news wires are a buzz the last 12 hours with the Luis Suarez sentencing. The Liverpool striker gets an eight-match ban and £40,000 fine after found guilty of racially abusing Man United’s Patrice Evra.

Suarez of course has denied allegations and has a two week window to appeal the decision. Question now is how soon will rest of us find out the appeal is on because surely an appeal is going to happen. Major outlets are reiterating A Liverpool statement claiming,

“No one else on the field of play – including Evra’s own Manchester United team-mates and all the match official – heard the alleged conversation between the two players in a crowded Kop goalmouth.”

And gotta love Tim Vickery’s column at the BBC wherein he emphatically states Suarez’s eight-game ban as, “smacks of the FA seizing on a chance to score a political point” and I’m thinking Mr. Vickery is right.  Let’s face it, when you read further and examine the backdrop of the Uruguayan’s pedigree, he is of mixed race family background having a black grandfather and is a product of a national team system entirely supportive of black players.

Further, assuming words did pass between players, Vickery points out the easy at which words get lost in translation, “how to know when this word ceases to be descriptive and becomes pejorative?”   Could this all be topsy-turvy and a case of admiration instead? Perhaps but Suarez has a hot head label chasing after him.  Are the experts siding on caution with an eight match ban sentence?  You be the judge.

All will be waiting to see the next move in this drama with the English FA right in the muck of it and we’ll be checking the best online sportsbooks for odds on a reversal.

EPLWeekly