A wise old head is needed to calm the growing tensions between Sir Alex Ferguson and Kenny Dalglish and their teams in the wake of the Suarez/Evra race row.
Forget the Manchester derby for a moment and consider this: how do you extract the bile from the Manchester Ship Canal in the wake of Luis Suarez racially abusing Patrice Evra?
All this ancient and modern poison flowing back and forth between Anfield and Old Trafford is so damaging to the reputations of two distinguished FOOTBALL clubs, although primarily to Liverpool, that an intermediary is required, somebody trusted by Kenny Dalglish and Sir Alex Ferguson. Somebody of Howard Wilkinson’s stature.
Both Dalglish and Ferguson would answer his phone-call and might even heed his call. Managers respect Wilkinson, who understands the job’s many pressures from time spent at Notts County, Sheffield Wednesday, Leeds United, Sunderland and even with England as caretaker.
Wilkinson might be able to organize a rapprochement between Dalglish and Ferguson, bringing some calm to a heated situation between their clubs.
Somebody of substance within the game needs to talk to both managers, who risk their dugouts turning into trenches for the Feb 11 game at Old Trafford. Tension has always clung to these Manchester United-Liverpool matches, the dislike rooted in their cities’ past industrial competition as well as long-standing footballing feuding.
Supporters fling abuse at each other, revelling in their tribalism, taunting each other over tragedies that have befallen their great clubs. The onus is mainly on Liverpool, of course.
They are the ones whose image needs rehabilitating post-Suarez and again after club and police launched an investigation into claims that a fan racially abused Oldham Athletic’s Tom Adeyemi at Anfield on Friday. If true, the fan has to be banned for life from Anfield while the full weight of the law descends on the individual. As Oldham’s captain Dean Furman says it’s an “absolute disgrace”.
Liverpool need to spread the message of their commitment to social-inclusion programmes, which has brought them an award from Lord Herman Ouseley, chair of the Kick It Out campaign.
Clearly more needs to be done. As Liverpool tackle their internal issues, it would help the game generally if some bridges were built over the Manchester Ship Canal.
It needs stressing again that rivalry is healthy but hatred is unhealthy. The Suarez case has intensified the friction. Liverpool’s failure to apologize exacerbates the original offence.
Ditto Suarez (properly to Evra). The Uruguayan returns from his eight-match suspension against Spurs on Feb 6 and is sure to start the following match at Old Trafford.
A sub-plot threatens to eclipse the main football drama. The cameras will zoom in on the handshake moment with Evra, let alone every touch of the Uruguayan during the game, every time he comes into proximity with United’s left-back.
Good luck to the television sound man attempting to cut out the fans’ more acerbic chants.
Fixated by an astonishing Premier League season, hundreds of millions of people around the world will be tuning in, the 12.45 kick-off time a particular joy to followers of English football in the Far East.
Every effort must be made to ensure the spectacle is a celebration of football and fans’ fervour without falling into the abyss of enmity.
All police leave will have long been cancelled. All lines of communication between the boards will have been encouraged by the authorities, both footballing and civil.
But it is down to Ferguson and Dalglish to set a more civilized tone with their pre-match pronouncements. Wilkinson could help that. Blessed are the peacemakers.
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