Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish has accused the Football Association of having double standards after Luis Suarez was charged with making an obscene gesture to fans following the 1-0 defeat at Fulham on Monday. The FA has since issued a statement in response.
Dalglish has been angry at the treatment of Suarez all season, going back to Patrice Evra's accusation of racism against the Uruguay international.The manager feels that the FA's appeal against the severity of Wayne Rooney's ban at Euro 2012 does not set the right example.
The Manchester United striker's UEFA suspension was reduced to two matches at the same time as Dalglish was addressing the media at a press conference, and the Liverpool boss believes the FA should look at its own actions before tackling other issues.
"I find it a bit strange the FA are supposed to be setting an example for things yet they appeal against Wayne Rooney's three-match ban,'' he said. "I don't think that's a good example to set.''
Dalglish labelled the way the FA has dragged its heels over Suarez's racism charge as a "joke'' - despite both clubs being told not to speak about the incident until a decision is made.
"The fact it has taken nine weeks to get a decision on one of the other charges is a bit of a joke as well. Much longer and he might get a testimonial,'' Dalglish added. "I don't think that has helped as well. The circus which is around about him has been caused mainly by that. That will be done sooner rather than later and we will move forward.''
Dalglish pointed out that if Rooney had been judged on the FA's own rules, a three-match suspension would have been automatic, but the FA has since issued a statement in response.
It read: "To promote speed and consistency, stakeholders in England agreed a standard formula encompassing a fixed penalty sanction should be applied across the game by The FA. The system has been in operation for many years and meets the demands of the domestic game.
"The FA's system allows clubs to make a claim of wrongful dismissal - to reduce a sanction to zero - or appeal the severity of a sanction. Both of these processes are dealt with prior to the player's next fixture.
"UEFA chooses to operate a different process for European matches, based on a sliding scale, under which each sanction is determined individually by a disciplinary panel. In any event, a minimum one-game ban will always be applied by UEFA.
"This process meets the demands of UEFA football where the period between fixtures is greater than that in the domestic game."
Prior to Dalglish's press conference, a screen, usually used for video analysis for the players in team meetings, was lowered into place. The manager said there was evidence available from the Fulham game which highlighted why he was unhappy about Suarez's treatment on the pitch.
And he has not moved from his stance of being fully behind the 24-year-old January signing from Ajax.
"For me the most important person, who is under the greater spotlight is Luis,'' Dalglish said. "The people at Liverpool and anyone who has any leaning to the club - be it, staff, players, supporters - they will stand by him and they know what the truth is. If anyone wants to see the truth from the other night it is on the screen.''
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