Luis Suarez has apologised for not shaking Patrice Evra's hand before Liverpool's game against Man Utd and admits he 'let the club down'.
Liverpool striker admits to mistake in not shaking Evra's hand
Luis Suarez has apologised for not shaking Patrice Evra's hand before Liverpool's game against Manchester United and admits he 'let the club down'.
The striker was starting his first game for Liverpool on Saturday since returning from an eight-match suspension after being found guilty of racially abusing Evra when the two teams met at Anfield in October.
However, the Uruguay international caused further controversy by refusing to shake Evra's hand during the traditional pre-match routine.
Suarez has now said sorry for the incident after speaking with manager Kenny Dalglish and is keen to put the matter behind him.
Regret
"I have spoken with the manager since the game at Old Trafford and I realise I got things wrong," said Suarez in a statement on Liverpool's
official website.
"I've not only let him down, but also the club and what it stands for and I'm sorry. I made a mistake and I regret what happened.
"I should have shaken Patrice Evra's hand before the game and I want to apologise for my actions.
"I would like to put this whole issue behind me and concentrate on playing football."
Dalglish had revealed before the match that he was expecting Suarez to shake Evra's hand in the first meeting between the two players since the incident back in the autumn.
Suarez's snub prompted United manager Sir Alex Ferguson to label the forward 'a disgrace' and suggest he should not play for Liverpool again.
Speaking after the game, Dalglish said he was unaware that Suarez had not shaken Evra's hand and felt it was unfair to blame the former Ajax attacker for any flashpoints on Saturday.
There was a tunnel bust-up between the players at half-time, while Evra's full-time celebrations after United's 2-1 win also drew criticism.
Evra celebrated near to Suarez and Ferguson admitted that his stand-in captain should not have acted in such a manner.
