Suarez: I'm not a racist

Luis Suarez has issued a statement thanking manager Kenny Dalglish, the Liverpool players and fans as well as his family for their support after the club revealed they are not to appeal the striker's eight-match ban for racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra.

Although the Reds are not appealing the ban, they issued a strongly worded statement in support of the player on Tuesday night and he also defended himself against accusations that he was a racist and insisted he did not consider his actions in the clash at Old Trafford to be so.

Suarez said: "Never, I repeat, never, have I had any racial problem with a team mate or individual who was of a different race or colour to mine. Never."

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