Ferguson: Suarez ban nothing compared to Cantona

Sir Alex Ferguson says he empathises with Liverpool over the lengthy ban handed to Luis Suarez, but believes the Uruguayan's ten-match suspension is nothing compared to the nine months Eric Cantona was kept out for following his kung-fu kick on a Crystal Palace fan.



Cantona launched himself at Palace supporter Matthew Simmons in January 1995 after being sent off at Selhurst Park, and was subsequently banned by United until the end of the season.



The Red Devils' decision to oust their talisman widely regarded as the cause of them losing that season's Premier League title to Blackburn and Ferguson then suffered further disappointment when the FA added four more months to Cantona's suspension.



The United boss feels Liverpool made a good choice not to serve up an internal ban first to their own influential No. 7, and admitted the FA's decision to extend Cantona's ban still riles him.

"I bet they are glad they didn't [suspend Suarez themselves],'' Ferguson said. "It didn't work for us. [Then FA chairman] David Davies promised us if we did it there would be no more action taken.



"Think about that. A nine-month ban. It is quite incredible. I still can't get my head round it."

Alex Ferguson backs Liverpool actions

Sir Alex Ferguson feels Liverpool made the right decision in not trying to prevent a hefty ban for Luis Suarez by imposing one of their own.



He added that Manchester United would do the same if they were faced with a similar situation. However, he felt the penalty is far less severe than the one Eric Cantona received from the Football Association following his kung-fu kick on Matthew Simmons at Crystal Palace.



United suspended Cantona for the four months left that season, but FA increased Cantona’s ban to eight months. “I bet they are glad they didn’t (suspend Suarez themselves). It didn’t work for us,” Ferguson said.

“David Davies promised us if we did it there would be no more action taken. Think about that. A nine-month ban. It is quite incredible. I still can’t get my head round it.”

Moyes keen to keep Jelavic

Out of form striker Nikica Jelavic will not be going anywhere according to Everton manager David Moyes.



Jelavic has netted just one goal in his past 18 Barclays Premier League games for the Toffees but Moyes is confident the Croatia international has the strength of character to bounce back.

“His effort has never been in question and we’d want him here next year,” Moyes said.



“It’s been a difficult season – maybe a bit of second-season syndrome.



“He’s found it a little harder to get the goals and the opportunities.



“We kept trying to play him to give him the chance to score but in the end we had to take him out. As it is, Victor Anichebe has come to light in the last month or so which has given us a wee bit of something else.”

Moyes added: “His confidence has taken a bit of a knock. If you’ve not scored and not played as well that’s natural.

“He’s a good lad and he’s the first one to accept he’s not doing well enough.



“When you work with boys like that it makes it a lot easier because they know they have got to get better.”

Dortmund eyeing move for Porto star

Portuguese newspaper A Bola has suggested that Borussia Dortmund are keeping close tabs on Porto striker Jackson Martinez.



With Mario Gotze set to join Bayern Munich in the summer and Robert Lewandowski also expected to leave, the Millionaires will have between €80m and €100m to spend on new players in the summer transfer window.



According to A Bola, BVB boss Jurgen Klopp is pondering a move for FC Porto striker Jackson Martinez.



The Colombian has been in scintillating form since arriving at the club in the summer, but the Dragons are not too keen on selling their prized asset.



Martinez has scored 25 goals in 26 Primeira Liga matches for Porto, while netting three times in eight Champions League fixtures.



The 26-year-old, who has also been linked with Galatasaray and Anzhi, has a €40 million release clause inserted in his deal and will only leave the Dragons if a club meet the asking price.

Borriello set for Roma return

Experienced striker Marco Borriello looks set to return to Roma in the summer, according to Il Corriere dello Sport.



The 30-year-old is currently on loan at Genoa from Roma, and it was widely expected that his stay at Stadio Luigi Ferraris would be made permanent in the summer.



However, the latest reports seem to suggest that he does have a future at Stadio Olimpico after all.



The Giallorossi are set to cash in on Pablo Daniel Osvaldo, but rather than signing a new high-profile striker, they aim to give Mattia Destro a chance to shine.



With the talented forward still lacking in experience, Roma officials believe the return of Marco Borriello would be beneficial for the 22-year-old.



Borriello boast a wealth of Serie A experience, and while he still has several good years ahead of him, it is believed the former Milan and Juventus forward would be a good role model for Mattia Destro.

Kolo Toure talks up Monaco move

Manchester City defender Kolo Toure has hinted that French Ligue 1 is likely to be his next destination.



The Ivorian confirmed a couple of days ago that he would be leaving Manchester City when his contract expired in the summer.



And it appears that a move to French Ligue 1 is on the cards, with Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain rumoured to be interested in the 32-year-old.



“Monaco are a great club that want to progress like Paris,” Toure explained to French newspaper L’Equipe. “It can be a very good option indeed with my experience.”



Monaco are targeting a number of high-profile players as they look to reinforce the squad in the summer, with Kolo Toure just one of the footballers they are looking at.



The Ivorian has spent his entire professional career in England, making over 300 Premier League appearances for Arsenal and Manchester City, but it appears he is set for a new challenge.



Toure has seen little playing time at Etihad of late, starting just 16 league matches over the last two seasons.

FA Reveals Reasoning Behind Suarez' 10 Game Ban

Sky Sports has reported on the FA’s news for the reasons they chose to ban Liverpool striker Luis Suarez for 10 games.



Suarez allegedly bit Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic during the two clubs’ recent match, and the incident has reached much mainstream media attention, especially considering the 26-year-old is also in the midst of controversy having punched an opposing player during a recent international game for Uruguay.



The FA announced that they did not look at most incidents which had been cited as setting precedents, namely the likes of Callum McManaman’s horrific challenge on Newcastle’s Massadio Haidara, which they claimed was left out of their ruling as “the act of competing for the ball is part of the game.”



The 21-page report also explicitly states that many others were not taken into consideration, citing Ben Thatcher’s act of serious foul play in 2006 as an example.



The report says: “We were mindful that, in a game of football, the coming together of opposing players and physical bodily contacts in challenging for the ball is part of the game - albeit some of the challenges, regrettably, could lead to more serious injuries.”



They appear to have used an occurrence in March, when Brighton’s Ashley Barnes tripped the referee and was punished with a six game ban, as the precedent of choice, continuing: “We concluded that this offence is significantly more serious than that of Ashley Barnes' and, accordingly, the punishment should be significantly higher.



“The participants in a game of football do not expect to be bitten by another participant when they come to play football.



“In this incident, Mr Ivanovic would not, and should not, have been expected to be subject to such a shocking and reprehensible action.



“It seemed to us that Mr Suarez had not fully appreciated the gravity and seriousness of this truly exceptional incident.”



That latter claim is in reference to a statement from both Suarez and Liverpool that a three game ban would likely prove sufficient, leading the FA to believe that he took the incident too lightly.



Suarez did follow up the ruling with an official statement of his own yesterday, read Simon Wright’s article here for more information on the player’s response.