Rio Ferdinand feels Liverpool should have issued an official apology for their unacceptable response to Luis Suarez’s ban for using racist language towards Patrice Evra in 2011.
The former Liverpool forward, now at Barcelona, was handed an eight-game ban by the FA after he was found to have racially abused the French left-back in a game between Manchester United and Liverpool eight years ago.
Liverpool took the controversial decision to stand by Suarez, posing before a later game with Wigan Athletic wearing ‘Suarez 7’ shirts in support of the Uruguayan.
Then-Liverpool vice-captain Jamie Carragher apologised for his part in the demonstration on punditry duty with Sky Sports this week, as he was on air with Evra.
"There is no doubt we made a massive mistake, that was obvious," Carragher said.
But while Ferdinand applauded Carragher for his actions, the former Manchester United defender thinks some acknowledgement needs to come from the club as well.
"That’s eight years late, eight years late," Ferdinand said on BT Sport.
"Testament to Jamie Carragher for apologising, eight years after the incident.
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"I was there on the pitch. At the end of the day, it’s bigger than Jamie Carragher, it’s the club.
"Liverpool let themselves down that day, wearing t-shirts in support of someone who’s been accused of a racist comment. Yet, eight years on and still the apology hasn’t come from Liverpool in that sense."
The incident has come in for renewed scrutiny as racist abuse continues to dominate the headlines around football, with numerous high-profile incidents recorded in English football and beyond this season.
While abuse of England’s players from Bulgarian fans in their Euro 2020 qualifying game earlier this month received widespread condemnation, racism has continued to blight the game at every level of the English footballing pyramid in the following weeks.
Liverpool have been involved in such incidents more than once this year. A fan was sentenced earlier this season after a series of Islamophobic posts about Reds star Mohamed Salah on social media, while Leicester City reported abuse of young midfielder Hamza Choudhury to the police after the two sides met in the Premier League earlier in October.
