After Manchester United star player Patrice Evra accused Liverpool’s Luis Suarez of racial abuse against him, all was not good between the players. The duo went on to become one of the most fierce rivals in football arena in England, each having their separate and distinct fan base.
However, after a recent revelation, it is known that the accusation against Suarez was not well received among the fans. Evra revealed that he had received death threats post that incident.
In an interview with Daily Mail, Evra said, “I received a lot of letters of death.”
“For months, I had a security car parked outside my house in Alderley Edge 24 hours a day. It wasn’t easy for my family but I grew up on tough streets in Les Ulis so for me it was like something normal. But maybe for another person, it was crazy. Even my brother was saying “Be careful” when we were out in the car”, he added.
The former French footballer then said that he in fact does not hate Suarez but has immense respect for him as a player.
“I don’t know if Suarez is a racist. I don’t know his family. I don’t know his background. But racism is so big for so many years and that day, there was racist abuse. So when we went to the hearing, they listened to me because I said I didn’t want them to punish him and I don’t know him close enough to say he is racist but he used that racist word,” he said in the same interview.
“I don’t hate him. I never hated him. I wanted to punch him at the time but for me to hate someone is impossible. I don’t have hate in my heart. I can react but hate is a strong word for me. When I was asked to pick a team of my best players, I named Suarez as one of my XI. He was the best striker at that time.
“Why should I not recognise his talent even if he isn’t a good person? I don’t even know if he is a good person. We had one episode. At that time, I wouldn’t have gone on holiday with him but I can’t hate him.”
It is to be noted that the accusations made by Evra were investigated upon and Suarez was found guilty. Consequently, Suarez was banned for eight matches and had to pay a fine of £40,000.