PATRICE EVRA will not be spared a decision on whether to shake the hand of Luis Suarez at Old Trafford on Saturday after the English Football Association confirmed the pre-match routine will take place when Liverpool visit Manchester United.
The FA avoided an awkward situation between Anton Ferdinand and John Terry, who is accused of using racist language towards the Queens Park Rangers defender, a charge he denies, when Chelsea met Mark Hughes’s team in the FA Cup fourth round last month by cancelling the handshake between the two teams before the game. The FA had been faced with the embarrassing prospect of several QPR players declining to shake Terry’s hand and took the decision, it said in a statement, “in an attempt to further defuse tensions before the match”.
That will not be the case when Liverpool appear at Old Trafford on Saturday and Suarez faces United for the first time since completing an eight-match ban for racially abusing Evra at Anfield last October. The two teams are expected to perform the routine before kick-off and, should Suarez start, the United defender will come face to face with the Uruguay international.
Alex Ferguson, the United manager, has stated that he believes Evra should “rise above” the temptation to ignore the handshake from Suarez, should he start.
Glen Johnson has claimed Suarez has the strength of character to handle the hostile reception that awaits him on Saturday. The 25-year-old returned as a substitute for Kenny Dalglish’s team in the goalless draw with Tottenham Hotspur on Monday and was quickly re-immersed in controversy when collecting a yellow card for kicking Scott Parker in the stomach. Wayne Rooney, the United striker, wrote on his Twitter account that the Liverpool forward should have been sent off.
Suarez received a rapturous reception at Anfield where Dalglish reiterated his stance that the former Ajax captain should not have been banned by the FA.
Old Trafford, however, will treat the Uruguayan differently and, despite Suarez also receiving a one-match ban for responding to abuse from Fulham fans with an offensive gesture at Craven Cottage, Johnson is confident his team-mate will cope.
“It is a tough place to go, Old Trafford. Luis is a strong character and he will try to let his football do the talking,” said the England international. “He is a fantastic player. He has had a long break now and hopefully he will be fresh and ready to put in a performance at the weekend.”
Johnson’s fellow defender Martin Kelly believes a fit and fresh Suarez will have a major influence on Liverpool’s pursuit of the League Cup, FA Cup and Champions League qualification.
“The crowd gave us a lift when they saw Luis coming on and it’s fantastic to have him back,” said Kelly. “He’ll be a big help for us over the next few weeks when we’ve got big games coming up and he’ll be there ready for the [League Cup] final.”
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