Dalglish: It´s time to move forward

Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish says it is time to draw a line under the racial row surrounding Luis Suarez and Manchester United’s Patrice Evra.

The Reds travel to Old Trafford on Saturday in a match which will see the duo come up against each other for the first time since Evra accused Suarez of racially abusing him, a charge that an independent panel found the Uruguayan guilty of.

Suarez received an eight match ban before making his comeback in the draw with Tottenham on Monday, but Dalglish is hopeful that when the two sides meet on Saturday, only the football makes the news afterwards, claiming his striker will be ready to shake Evra’s hand.

“Everyone involved, including the media, the supporters and both teams have a responsibility to ensure this weekend is remembered as a cracking game of football between two very good sides, rather than for anything else,” Dalglish told Liverpool’s official website.

“I thought everyone involved in the FA Cup tie at Anfield played their part in making sure that the match was played in the right way, so let’s make sure that happens again this weekend.”

The Scottish manager came under heavy criticism for his post-match remarks after the Spurs draw, claiming Suarez should never have been banned in the first place, but he is keen to move on from the whole ordeal, demanding a line be drawn under it.

“I’m sure people will want to talk about Luis Suarez,” he said. “But he accepted his ban, served his suspension and returned against Spurs on Monday.”

“It’s time for all of us to draw a line under what happened and move forward. People are already speculating on the pre-match ceremony, but from Luis’s point of view we have spoken to him and I know he will shake the hand of Patrice Evra and the other Manchester United players before the game.”