While belated apologies have gone some way to rectifying the unsavoury incidents that overshadowed Liverpool’s defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday, a club who had built a reputation over many decades for the proud manner in which they go about their existence have only just begun to take the necessary steps to repair the damage which has tarnished their name on a global scale over recent months.
The famous ‘Liverpool way’ and the club as a brand has taken a battering over the whole Luis Suarez/Patrice Evra race row, and the controversy which surrounded Saturday’s Premier League tie between English football’s two most successful sides proved to be the tip of the iceberg for Reds investors.
Liverpool’s shirt sponsors who pay the club around £20m a season had to intervene to defuse the furore which pursued the Uruguayan’s refusal to shake Evra’s hand prior to Saturday’s derby clash. A spokesman for Standard Chartered gave a brief statement which highlighted the sponsors discontent, as reported by The Guardian.
“We were very disappointed by Saturday’s incident and have discussed our concerns with the club.”
A person familiar with the matter also added, “It was a very robust conversation.”
Standard Chartered’s intervention along with Liverpool’s US owners (Fenway Sports Group), is what many thought prompted a public apology from Suarez the following day, as well as one from boss Kenny Dalglish for his reaction in a post-match interview when questioned about the incident. A spokesman for Liverpool however, refused the notion that they had received additional pressure to issue those apologies.
Suarez’s refusal to shake the hand of Evra represents a maintained stance in belief that he was wrongly treated for the 8-match ban he received following the ‘guilty’ verdict made by the FA. Personally, I have no problem with the refused handshake. Why should you have to shake the hand of someone you don’t like?
The handshaking ritual which occurs before our fixtures in the current day is merely a parade initiated by the powers that be to show how either side are respectful of each other. Actual genuine marks of respect for fellow competitors offer most merit once a game is over and the handshake is initiated by the competitor themselves regardless of result, rather than a pre-arranged procedure.
However, I do believe Suarez should have put his stance to one side and made the handshake on this occasion, if not to defuse all the pre-match hype surrounding his spat with Evra, but for the overall benefit of a club, it’s manager, and supporters who have given the 25-year-old unquestionable support through a very difficult period.
While the unprecedented support shown to the Uruguayan has been admirable, Liverpool have only themselves to blame for the way in which they have dealt with situations in the media which could have been used to prevent the Suarez race row from escalating after the initial accusation was made. Instead, a siege mentality was created which did nothing to calm a potentially toxic situation.
This difficult period in the history of Liverpool FC is unlikely to have had a damaging effect on the majority of hardcore support they receive from the British Isles who stick by the Merseysider’s through thick and thin.
However, concerns will have been raised on a commercial level from further afield where countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia are a target market. The Reds already boast a huge fan base across those particular regions where they earn a large proportion of their commercial profits but there are worries that recent events will have damaged their brand image.
Liverpool’s strong Asian support base is what attracted Standard Chartered to the club. Although the bank is based in London it makes almost all it’s profits in Asia, which is why they made the intervention in the Luis Suarez handshake row as being associated with a poisonous incident such as this can be detrimental to the company.
Kenny Dalglish’s men must now appear squeaky clean and avoid any further controversy. Rebuilding the famous reputation of the ‘Liverpool way’ is a necessity for both football and commercial reasons so to regain the trust of existing investors/sponsors and supporters, whilst also being able to attract new ones.
For more rumour, views and opinion follow me on Twitter at grez10
