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When news of Steven Gerrard’s second testimonial, set to take place during this month’s international break, first surfaced a month ago, most Liverpool fans assumed that Luis Suarez would be one of the big names who wouldn’t be available due to international commitments. When it was announced he would be attending last week, it left more than a few people scratching their heads.
That’s because Uruguay are slated to play a friendly against Morocco on Saturday, meaning less than 24 hours between their international match and the all-star friendly. Suarez, though, having spoken to the Uruguayan federation and national team manager Oscar Tabarez, had been granted permission to skip Uruguay duty this month—and with Uruguay’s squad released today it can now be confirmed that Suarez isn’t on it.
Suarez’ time at Anfield and, in the end, his departure may not have gone off without a hitch, and it may only be a friendly he’s missing, but for the sake of his former captain’s all-star testimonial it’s certainly a nice gesture on behalf of the former Red to ensure his attendance. Fellow former Liverpool stars Fernando Torres, Dirk Kuyt, Pepe Reina, and Xabi Alonso have all similarly confirmed they will play on Sunday, March 29th.
The ex-Liverpool players will be joined by Thierry Henry, Didier Drogba, and John Terry, with further player announcements expected in the coming weeks.
