Uruguayan President Jose Mujica stood up for Luis Suarez and rejected accusations of racism against the Liverpool striker, arguing that he “did not study to become a diplomat.”
“He is a lad who is brilliant on the football pitch, a humble guy who got out of poverty. We love him for all that,” Mujica said, in comments that the Uruguayan weekly Busqueda published on Thursday.
He stressed that there is “nothing racist about Suarez.” Suarez was banned for eight matches for racially abusing Manchester United’s Patrice Evra earlier this season in the Premier League.
Uruguay star Suarez has insisted that he meant no racial offence by calling Evra “negro,” and he has found widespread support in his native country.
Uruguay has a noticeable community of African descent, and the term is often used there, as in other Latin American countries, with no negative undertones.
