Liverpool’s biggest sponsor has criticised the club for its conduct during the fractious Premier League match against Manchester United that was marred by Luis Suarez’s refusal to shake hands with Patrice Evra.
The image of one of England’s most successful teams took another battering on Saturday when Suarez snubbed Evra in a pre-match handshake at Old Trafford, re-igniting the racism row that flared up when the Uruguay forward racially abused the France defender during a league game in October.
Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish also came under fire for his angry post-match reaction in which he refused to condemn Suarez.
Standard Chartered, which signed a four-year deal in 2009 to be the sponsor on Liverpool’s shirt, signalled its discontent to Liverpool’s American owners, the Boston-based Fenway Sports Group.
“We were very disappointed by Saturday’s incident and have discussed our concerns with the club,” the London-based financial services company said on Monday.
Standard Chartered’s deal with Liverpool, which has won the English title 18 times, is reportedly worth STG20 million ($A30 million) a season and runs through to the end of the 2013-14 season.
Suarez apologised on Sunday for letting down Liverpool and “what it stands for”, with Dalglish and managing Ian Ayre saying the Uruguay striker had “misled” the club regarding his intention to shake the hand of Evra.
Dalglish also apologised for his impassioned comments in an interview with British broadcaster Sky Sports.
In an ill-tempered game between England’s two most successful clubs, players from both teams reportedly clashed outside the dressing rooms at half-time.
An emotional Evra also appeared to provoke Suarez with his exuberant post-match celebrations after United clinched a 2-1 win.
The Football Association said on Monday it was happy with how referee Phil Dowd dealt with Evra’s actions after the match and didn’t regard the half-time incident as serious enough to take action.
However, the governing body is likely to write to both clubs to remind them of their responsibilities.
