Hillsborough: Robbie Fowler wants Evra & Suarez gesture

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Robbie Fowler

Former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler says Patrice Evra and Luis Suarez should lay floral tributes before Sunday's Premier League game between his old club and Manchester United.

Suarez was banned for eight matches for racially abusing Evra last season, while the match is the first at Anfield since the publication of the Hillsborough report.

"It would be nice for Luis Suarez to put some flowers at the United end regarding Munich, and for Patrice Evra to do so at the Kop," Fowler said.

"The two clubs do have a rivalry, but some things are far more important than football and this is one of them."

Fowler, 37, feels that Suarez should commemorate the Munich air disaster of 1958, in which eight Manchester United players and three club staff died, while Evra should pay tribute to the 96 Liverpool fans killed at the FA Cup semi-final at Hillsborough in 1989.

Suarez refused to shake Evra's hand before the start of the last meeting between the two sides, at Old Trafford last February.

Both clubs are understood to be confident that the pair will shake hands ahead of Sunday's game, where a number of tributes to the victims of the Hillsborough disaster are planned.

Two prominent United fans groups, the Manchester United Supporters Trust and the Stretford End Flags, have urged fans not to sing songs referring to the Hillsborough disaster.

The Munich air tragedy has been the subject of songs from a section of Liverpool fans, but the managers of both clubs have called for an end to such chants from both sets of supporters.

"Both clubs have a respect for each other, for what they have achieved in the game," added Fowler, who made 369 appearances during two spells with the Anfield club.

Liverpool go into Sunday's game without a win in the Barclays Premier League under Brendan Rodgers, but Fowler, capped 26 times by England, thinks the new manager needs to be given time.

"With the players he has at his disposal, he's doing alright, as long as everyone gives him time and has patience, which is what everyone at the club needs.

"It needs a little bit of stability and I reckon he is the man Liverpool need to progress, get better and start rising up that table again."

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585 comments

  • Comment posted by bolabear, at 10:50 21 Sep 2012

    Can we not just have a football match for once without the symbolism and pageantry? If the horrors of Hillsborough and Munich, and the fact that racism is intolerable in today's society isn't enough to stop the ignorant few from tasteless chanting, then I doubt a floral tribute is.

    I'm not saying turn a blind eye, but the media obsession with the negative side of football is 'feeding the trolls'.

  • Comment posted by Londoner in exile returns, at 10:39 21 Sep 2012

    Using 2 past tragedies, in an attempt to reconcile 2 sets of supporters and 2 individual players is not a good idea.

    The dead of Hillsborough and Munich, should never be used, as a means to unite 2 idiotic players and an unknown number, of what is loosely described as supporters from both clubs.

    Robbie you mean well but please think very hard next time.

  • Comment posted by abdulmismail, at 10:16 21 Sep 2012

    Excellent idea by Robbie Fowler! That's all I can say.

    @6. I hate to say this but a handful of both our fans will always continue to chant "Hillsborough" or "Munich". The best way to resolve that would be to ban any fan caught singing such chants for life from both Anfield and Old Trafford.

  • Comment posted by Sharturse, at 12:27 21 Sep 2012

    Does this mean that Robbie Fowler also thinks it is time for him to apologise to Graeme Le Saux for his disgraceful homophobic taunts on the pitch in 1999? I hope so but, somehow, I doubt it.

  • Comment posted by I live to moan, at 10:55 21 Sep 2012

    How does a handshake turn into a floral tribute and what's the point?

    Also expecting everyone to commemorate a disaster is pointless if it's not heartfelt, let the actual families mourn for their loved ones as they have lost the most.

    Asking overpriced and distant footballers to make a false gesture is just plain stupid.

  • Comment posted by U14362313, at 22:42 21 Sep 2012

    370.GORDON HILL IS KING ''Boris was right self pity city !''
    ------------------------------- Boris apologised, too little too late. The real heroes in all of this are the families who had to live with their loved ones being blamed for their own deaths. They didn't have self pity, they had dignity and fight, more than you will ever have. Keep spouting your bile, its showing you for what you are.

  • Comment posted by likas_kid, at 14:17 21 Sep 2012

    None of this would be necessary if the FA, and the media in general, hadn't made a big fuss about the original incident. Speaking as a black person who has been assaulted on the street for my colour, what they should have done is explain firmly to Suarez why the N word is unacceptable in the UK and then ASK him to apologise to Evra. Instead they went nuclear immediately and this is the fall out.

  • Comment posted by Forestfan, at 22:28 21 Sep 2012

    Gordon hill....#370....,

    Either you can't read. (I'm nor Liverpool, nor from there). Or your stupid.
    Or your another Manu fan who thinks irony is really intelligent.
    It was. In 1969.
    It's the norm now and therefore boring.
    Don't sing songs that can be applied to events where 96 people died.

  • Comment posted by ohffs, at 18:25 21 Sep 2012

    Yet another orchestrated public demonstration of faux emotion. Whatever happened to dignity, reticence and privacy in grief?

  • Comment posted by maze, at 13:06 21 Sep 2012

    This world is bloody crazy! Is Fowler on drugs?

    What on earth is the racism row between evra&suarez got to fo with Hillsborough and Munich??? It's absolutely a stupid thing to suggest them laying flowers...It's like saying The killers of stepehn lawrence should lay flowers on the graves of the lives of soldiers lost in afghanistan to settle peace with stephen's mother??? what?

  • Comment posted by shadow warrior, at 10:17 21 Sep 2012

    robbie should be quiet, this game is about the victims not suarez and evra, let them shake hands as part of the side show and the main issue here is that people respect the very sad loss of life not to footballers taking the stage who was even there.

  • Comment posted by celticwarrior69, at 22:50 21 Sep 2012

    Forest fan ..... I think the majority on here realise the mentality of some of the people commenting here. Some obviously unable to read and stupid as well !!!

  • Comment posted by Ingvar_Gunnarsson, at 22:34 21 Sep 2012

    Last year's game was dominated by one simple-minded idiot not shaking the hand of the opposition. Hopefully Rio Ferdinand will be respectful this time around.

  • Comment posted by planetbloo, at 14:20 21 Sep 2012

    Is this a joke? An openly homophobic, bigoted, thick ex-footballer is now the moral arbiter of how other people should behave. Am I dreaming this? I don't remember him ever apologising to Mr Le Saux or the millions of gay people he insulted.

  • Comment posted by U14465353, at 13:04 21 Sep 2012

    As for the 'nasty' chants - it's time both sets of supporters knocked it on the head. It's down to the majority of decent supporters to drown out the idiots on matchday.

  • Comment posted by Stan_Goldard, at 11:19 21 Sep 2012

    Can the media please stop with the "let's all be friends and play nice" stuff. It's like you're trying to get a bunch of 2 year olds to share their toys, or write the ending to a Disney movie.

    I'm sure the players know the importance of the situation. Stop this puerile rubbish. It's insulting to everyone.

  • Comment posted by U15432251, at 18:05 22 Sep 2012

    522 that comment is sick. I hope it isnt removed so people can see what s low life you are.

  • Comment posted by U14362313, at 22:32 21 Sep 2012

    @355.Weallfollowunited ''That chant has never been about Hillsborough''
    -----------------------------
    Oh really? So it's chanted at a HOME United game where you are playing WIGAN, 4 days after the Hillsborough report and in a week when the media has been full of revelations about the truth? Even your own supporters groups have apologised. Lets hope your ilk don't attend Anfield on Sunday!

  • Comment posted by Forestfan, at 22:07 21 Sep 2012

    Gordonhill....a good player by the way.

    Great. Please carry on. More rope please.

  • Comment posted by celticwarrior69, at 21:56 21 Sep 2012

    As a staunch Liverpool supporter I think the best gesture on Sunday would be for the Anfield faithful to applaud Fergie for the comments he has made this week supporting the Hillsborough families followed by Suarez & Evra shaking hands and having a quiet reconiliatry chat before the match. Will it happen ? Highly unlikely, but we can hope.

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