Suarez-Evra race case verdict delayed until December 20

The Football Association has confirmed that the race abuse case against Liverpool striker Luis Suarez will drag on until next week.

London: The Football Association (FA) has confirmed that the race abuse case against Liverpool striker Luis Suarez will drag on until next week.

Suarez has been fighting to preserve his reputation after being charged with racially insulting Manchester United defender Patrice Evra during a Premier League at Anfield on October 15. Evra had claimed that Suarez insulted him with the word ‘n*****’ more than 10 times. The Liverpool striker faces a ban and fine if found guilty by a three-man disciplinary panel. A decision had been expected on Friday, but an FA statement said: “The Independent Regulatory Commission has confirmed there will be no decision this evening and will continue working through the weekend.” “There will be no announcement on any decision before Tuesday December 20 at the earliest,” it added. Suarez flatly denies the FA charge of using ‘abusive and/or insulting words and/or behaviour’ towards Evra and any suggestion that his comments ‘included a reference to the ethnic origin and/or colour and/or race’ of his opponent. ANI