“I looked at him and I was like ‘that’s it, this is the moment’.”
Patrice Evra has revealed that the only thing that stopped him from attacking Luis Suarez in the street following the pair’s racism controversy was that Suarez was with his family.
In October 2011, Evra was racially abused by Liverpool striker Suarez during Manchester United’s 1-1 draw against the Reds at Anfield.
The FA charged the former Ajax man with “abusive and/or insulting words and/or behaviour contrary to FA rules” which included “a reference to the ethnic origin and/or colour and/or race of Patrice Evra”.
The Uruguayan was handed an eight-match ban and a £40k fine.
However, their feud continued into the new year as Suarez refused to shake Evra’s hand – despite the Frenchman’s efforts to move on from the controversial incident – when the two sides met at Old Trafford in February 2012.
It has since been revealed that the pair actually saw each other on a street in Manchester following the altercation, with Evra claiming that he was ready to attack Suarez before spotting that his rival was with his family.
“One day I was walking in Manchester in Deansgate and my brother said, ‘oh it’s Luis Suarez over there’. I was with two of my brothers,” Evra said, speaking on The Diary of a CEO Podcast. “I looked at him and I was like ‘that’s it, this is the moment’.
“And he walked, and behind him I saw his kids and his wife. I turned my back. I was like ‘if you do something to him you can’t do this in front of his family’.
“So I don’t regret it because I think it would have ended up bad. I did nothing that day.”
Evra – who was playing for Juventus – and Suarez – who had made his move to Barcelona – drew a line under the public saga in 2015 when the two sides met ahead of the 2015 Champions League final.
The Frenchman explained that he doesn’t ‘have any hate’ towards Suarez following the incident.
He explained: “I was talking with Neymar, he [Suarez] passed, he come he shook my hand, he say ‘you ok?’. I said, ‘I’m ok’.
“So, no beef, but we’re definitely not going to go on holiday.
“I don’t have any hate. I can’t call Luis Suarez a racist because I don’t know him close enough to call him that way, but in that day, he used some racist word.
“Yes [he’s forgiven Suarez]. It’s about education – no-one is born a racist person.”
Following a short-term contract with West Ham United in February 2018, Evra retired from professional football in July 2019, while Suarez has scored 29 goals in 54 games for Atletico Madrid since moving to the Wanda Metropolitano in September 2020.
Related links:
- Patrice Evra pays Instagram tribute to Luis Suarez following Golden Shoe award
- Liverpool fans criticised for Luis Suarez chant against Patrice Evra during West Ham game
- Patrice Evra reveals apology letter from Liverpool as he accuses fans of lacking class
