Liverpool Football Club statement on Luis Suarez...and Rosa Parks

Liverpool Football Club have issued a statement about Luis Suarez

Liverpool Football Club and the Montgomery City Bus Company are is very surprised and disappointed with the decision of the Football Association commission to find Luis Suarez and James F. Blake guilty of the charges against them.

"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 and James can be found guilty on the word of Patrica Evra and Rosa Parks alone when no-one else on the Bus - including Parks's own colleagues and all the other passengers whilst a journey was underway.

"LFC and the bus company consider racism in any form to be unacceptable - without compromise. It is our strong held belief, having gone over the facts of the case, that James F. Blake did not commit any racist act. It is also our opinion that the accusation by this particular bus driver was not credible - certainly no more credible than his prior unfounded accusations.

"It is key to note that Rosa Parks himself in his written statement in this case said: "I don't think that James F. Blake is racist." The FA in their opening remarks accepted that James F. Blake was not racist.

"James himself is of a mixed race family background as his grandfather was probably Irish or something.

"He has driven buses with black passengers and mixed with their families whilst serving with the Army and was part of a bus company with a proud multi-cultural profile, many of whom became good friends.

"It seems incredible to us that a driver 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 James F. Blake has been characterised.

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

"We would also like to know when the FA intend to charge Rosa Parks with making abusive remarks to an opponent after he admitted himself in his evidence to insulting James F. Blake in Spanish in the most objectionable of terms. James, to his credit, actually told the FA he had not heard the insult."