Monday, September 17, 2012

Luis Suarez Told To Shake Hands With Patrice Evra

Liverpool's Luis Suarez has been told to shake hands with Manchester United's Patrice Evra when the two clubs meet in the Premier League this Sunday.

Last season when the teams met at Anfield Suarez ended up being banned for eight games for racially abusing the French player, and the Uruguayan refused to shake his hand in the re-match at Old Trafford.

This Sunday's game will be Liverpool's first home league match since the disclosure of evidence clearing their fans of any blame in the Hillsborough disaster, which left 96 of their number dead.

But that did not stop sections of the crowd at United's Old Trafford ground singing anti-Liverpool songs on Saturday, despite pleas by manager Sir Alex Ferguson for them not to do so.

United chief executive David Gill will talks to his Liverpool counterpart Ian Ayre this week in an effort defuse tensions ahead of Sunday's game, and to ensure the passion of the rivalry stays the right side of fierce and does not descend into all-out hostility.

Possible gestures of respect include a minute's silence, although it may be replaced by a less risky minute of applause, and United laying a wreath before kick-off.

Then-Manchester City manager Sven Goran Eriksson did that when his team met United in a similarly fiercely-fought battle of rivals on the 50th anniversary of the Munich air crash four years ago.

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