Rio Ferdinand slams Liverpool over handling of Suarez racism case eight years on but praises Carragher for apology

RIO FERDINAND has slammed Liverpool for their response to the Luis Suarez racism case but praised Jamie Carragher for his apology to Patrice Evra eight years on.

Former Liverpool striker Suarez was found guilty of racially abusing Manchester United left-back Evra in December 2011 and given an eight-match ban and £40,000 fine by the Football Association.

Liverpool players at the time, including Carragher, rallied round the disgraced Uruguayan by wearing "Suarez 7" T-shirts in a warm-up at Wigan.

Evra's former team-mate Ferdinand, speaking on BT's Champions League coverage, said: "Liverpool let themselves down that day, wearing T-shirts in support of someone who's been accused of a racist comment.

"Testament to Jamie Carragher for apologising eight years after the incident.

"I was there on the pitch, but at the end of the day it's bigger than Jamie Carragher, it's the club.

"Yet eight years on and still the apology hasn't come from Liverpool in that sense."

Carragher and Evra were guests on Sky's Monday Night football when the Ex-Liverpool defender apologised for wearing the T-Shirt.

He said: "There is no doubt we made a massive mistake.

"As a club we got it massively wrong.

"I didn't have enough courage to say I'm not wearing it."

Evra said he watched the Wigan game on TV and recalled: "This is ridiculous. It's unbelievable. Even for the club, you put your own club into danger when you do those sorts of things.

"This was after the ban so which message do you send to the world when you do that.

"But I never go to the court and said Luis Suarez is a racist because he used some racist words.

"I said, I don't want you to ban Luis Suarez but I just want you to be aware of it because I didn't react.

"Because imagine that day I was punching him, all the TV and the kids will see me punching Luis Suarez and I will look like the villain."