Sponsors step into Suarez row

Liverpool’s shirt sponsors have revealed they intervened in the Luis Suarez row to express their “concerns” to the club.

Standard Chartered acted after the widespread condemnation that followed the Uruguay striker’s refusal to shake the hand of Manchester United captain Patrice Evra, the man he had been found guilty of racially abusing, prior to the match Old Trafford on Saturday.

“We were very disappointed by Saturday’s incident and we have discussed our concerns with the club,” the bank said in a statement.

On Sunday, Suarez apologised for his actions, as did manager Kenny Dalglish for his behaviour in a post-match television interview. Liverpool’s managing director Ian Ayre criticised the player for misleading them over his intentions in the pre-match handshake and said the 25-year-old had been told “his behaviour was not acceptable”.

The raft of statements from Anfield within a 60-minute period on Sunday afternoon represented a significant swing in the way the Merseysiders had dealt with the issue since Evra first made allegations after a match between Liverpool and Manchester United in mid-October.

However, suggestions that Liverpool – who have until now defended Suarez – bowed to pressure from Standard Chartered in their response to Saturday’s incident have been dismissed by the club. They claim the processes they set in motion after the defeat at Old Trafford were fully backed, but not driven or influenced, by the bank.

“Ian Ayre kept Standard Chartered fully informed of developments over the course of the weekend,” said a club statement.

“The actions the club decided to take yesterday were supported by Standard Chartered.”

Standard Chartered are almost halfway through an £81 million four-year deal which is the most lucrative in British football.