Reds told they are not in the clear yet

Liverpool still have to deal with unresolved questions arising from the Luis Suarez affair, according to aleading anti-racism campaigner.

Piara Powar, executive director of Football Against Racism in Europe, said Liverpool’s defence of the Uruguay international had not been worth the effect on the club’sreputation and suggested they must look again at how they manage their players.

However, he welcomed theapologies issued by the player,manager Kenny Dalglish andmanaging director Ian Ayre in the wake of the furore after Suarez refused to shake hands with Patrice Evra on Saturday, the man he was found guilty of racially abusing.

Liverpool, having steadfastly defended Suarez ever since allegations were made against him by theManchester United defender onOctober 15, were quick to actfollowing the weekend’s incident at Old Trafford.

Condemnation both in England and overseas, notably in the United States where the club’s owners Fenway Sports Group are based, broughtdecisive action from the Anfieldhierarchy.

The club’s shirt sponsors Standard Chartered, almost halfway through a record-breaking £81m (€96.7m) four-year deal, also raised the issue with the club.

“We were very disappointed bySaturday’s incident and have discussed our concerns with the club,” said a statement from the bank.

But the club hope strong statements, particularly from Ayre, who criticised Suarez for misleading them over his intentions in relation to the handshake, have helped deal with the matter. Powar said: “It’s certainly taken quite a long time for Liverpool to shift into gear and really give us the three-barrelled apologies, if you like. It has been surprising the way they’ve handled it and I’m not surprised at all that finally their American owners have realised they need to step in.

“I think there are still some unresolved questions Liverpool need to look at.

“There are still some lessons for the rest of us that we need to consider in the coming weeks, but it’s not too late, it’s never too late to say sorry.

“I think it shows British football has a lot to do really. There are anumber of questions that have struck us and one of those is clubs need to stop paying lip service and really take some of these social issues seriously.

“And they [Liverpool] need to think about how they manage star players. Clearly Kenny Dalglish’s concern here was to manage Luis Suarez and his protestations ofinnocence. But is it enough to say Luis Suarez is a top player forLiverpool FC, therefore we have to pull out the stops and damage our own reputation?

“I don’t think it is and I think that’s something clubs need to look at very carefully.”

Meanwhile, the FA have revealed Liverpool and Manchester United will not face disciplinary action over the scenes at Old Trafford.