Clark Carlisle confirms PFA will look to mediate in row between Luis Suarez and Patrice Evra

Clark Carlisle believes the Professional Footballers' Association must do all it can to repair the damage caused by the escalating row between Patrice Evra and Luis Suarez.

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The two players came face to face for the first time since Suarez was handed an eight-match ban for racially abusing Evra back in October when Manchester United hosted Liverpool at Old Trafford on Saturday.

The Liverpool striker further inflamed an already tense atmosphere by refusing to shake the Frenchman's hand before the start of the match, while Evra himself unwisely chose to celebrate his side's 2-1 victory in front of the Reds fans and in close proximity to Suarez.

In the post-match interviews Sir Alex Ferguson called the Uruguayan "a disgrace", while Kenny Dalglish vented his fury at the media.     

PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor has admitted the Respect campaign is laying in tatters after the Old Trafford debacle. Carlisle feels the situation they find themselves in will need a lot of work to repair, but insists it could be accomplished with some mediation.

When asked whether the PFA will step in, the former Burnley defender told Sky Sports News: “Yes, without a doubt.

“There have been many attempts made by Gordon to get these two gentlemen into the same room in an attempt at mediation.

“It wasn't to be and the due process was followed to get a verdict in the original incident, but now after yesterday's incidents I'm sure that Gordon will be stepping up his attempts to try and get some sort of closure on this situation."

Over the past few days there have been calls for the pre-match handshake ritual to be cast aside following incidents like Saturday’s at Old Trafford and Wayne Bridge’s snub of John Terry in 2010.

However, Carlisle has insisted the ritual is an important part of the game and helps promote respect between opposition players and match officials.

“This has shown itself as a personal grievance yesterday between Luis Suarez and Patrice Evra, and that is the kind of situation we don't want transferring onto a football pitch," he added.

"There has been a big debate about whether we should get rid of the handshakes altogether and I am adamant that we should keep them in the game because, personal grievance aside, when you cross that white line you should have an element of professional respect from one professional to another.

"That is what the handshake is all about, it is about respecting your opponents and respecting the referees and officials when you are in those 90 minutes, and we should be able to leave our personal grievances off the pitch because, when you bring them onto the pitch, that is when problems start.

"It has been a monumental success I feel in establishing that rapport between opponents and officials and these two incidents have highlighted how we need to further define the line between personal and professional relationships.

“I was bitterly disappointed. The racism element of this incident made it a national topic and the intense rivalry between Manchester United and Liverpool also amplified the situation, so this was a real chance to defuse that tension and Luis didn't take that up.

"If anything he poured a bit of fuel on the fire and exacerbated the situation, and it was a shame to see that Kenny Dalglish seemed to have no inkling it had happened.

"Moving forward, we really need to get Patrice Evra and Luis Suarez together and try and have some kind of mediation so that when you step onto the pitch in front of the eyes of hundreds of millions of watching people, the impressionable young supporters that we set an example to, that you can put differences behind you when it comes to sport and a game of football."