Glen Johnson has revealed that there are "a lot of reasons" behind his backing for Liverpool teammate Luis Suarez.

The Uruguay international was hit with an eight-match ban after he was found guilty of racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra.

The 24-year-old has been condemned by a number of anti-racism groups but the striker's club have stated that they are fully behind the Copa America winner.

The Reds squad issued a statement expressing their disappointment at the Independent Commission's ruling and they wore custom-made t-shirts to show their support for Suarez before their 0-0 draw with Wigan Athletic last night.

Johnson tweeted: "I will support who i want when i want!!! There are a lot of reasons why I'm standing by Luis Suarez!!!"

The Merseyside club will consider appealing the lengthy ban once the IC's written judgement has been handed over to the Premier League side.