The good, the bad and the ugly

Luis Suarez, the Liverpool striker was recently handed an eight match ban pending an investigation, for his racist behaviour towards Manchester United defender Patrice Evra. To accompany this ban the FA also handed a £40,000 fine towards Suarez. Whilst, this fine may not come as a major economical blow to Liverpool and Suarez himself, Liverpool could potentially out on lose millions of pounds from this suspension.

Will his actions cost the 'pool'?

Suarez this year has comfortably been Liverpool’s best player, the cornerstone of their attack. So far he has scored or provided 14 of Liverpool’s 28 goals and has managed to add spark to an often blunt attack. With him Liverpool currently sitting pretty in sixth place, just three points of a champion’s league place and in the Carling cup semi finals. But, what could Liverpool expect to achieve without their key player?

No Champions league football for starters. Without their best player they will find it tough to hold pace with rivals such as Chelsea and Arsenal and are thus likely to fall back in the race for fourth place. If Liverpool do fail to get into the Champions league then they can expect a £65.6million loss in revenue (this is what they would receive if they reached the group stages) which would majorly upset their financial predictions.

Where will they end up?

Liverpool’s chances of winning the Carling cup would also recede as his ban includes the two legged semi final against Manchester City. This could potentially cost the club £10million through prize winnings and sponsorship deals as well as the chance to win a piece of silverware, something that has eluded them for over four years.

Whilst, all of these implications are based on ‘ifs’ I personally think that the likelihood of them occurring is quite high. This ban may not initially appear too economically strenuous on Liverpool, however, in the long run it could cost Liverpool over £75million. Or In other words the price of Andy Carroll, Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing. This shows Luis Suarez actions were not only degrading but also potentially financially costly.