It’s almost three months since Liverpool’s Luis Suarez and Manchester United’s Patrice Evra clashed on the pitch at Anfield, yet the repercussions of that Saturday in October still show no signs of waning.

The Football Association may have concluded its investigation, delivered a verdict, and even released a 115-page report on the case, but a day doesn’t go by when some individual or body aren’t prepared to weigh in with their say.

Yesterday we had Liverpool labelled ‘hypocritical’ by Kick It Out’s Lord Ouseley, former chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality, and Suarez’s short statement of apology coming under intense scrutiny.

Suarez stated: “I admitted to the commission that I said a word in Spanish once, and only once, and I told the panel members that I will not use it again on a football pitch in England.

“I never, ever used this word in a derogatory way and if it offends anyone then I want to apologise for that.”

Despite being found guilty by the FA of racially abusing Evra, there was no personal apology to the Frenchman, and it was a statement Ouseley described as ‘lamentable’ when he wrote on the issue in yesterday’s Guardian.

Lord Ouseley said: “Throughout the entirety of the proceedings, over the past three months, all we have heard are denials and denigration of Evra.

“Since the publication of the 115-page report of the findings of the FA’s independent commission, Liverpool’s vitriol has increased.

“Suarez’s attempt at a belated apology is nothing short of lamentable.

“I cannot believe that a club of Liverpool’s stature, and with how it has previously led on matters of social injustice and inequality, can allow its integrity and credibility to be debased by such crass and ill-considered responses.

“Liverpool have been particularly hypocritical. You can’t on the one hand wear a Kick It Out T-shirt in a week of campaigning against racism when this is also happening on the pitch: it’s the height of hypocrisy.”

Clearly no punches pulled, but the timing of his outburst appeared strange coming a day after Kick It Out praised Liverpool for choosing not to appeal Suarez’s 8-game ban.

A statement on the Kick It Out website read: “We commend Liverpool FC in bringing closure to this matter, reaffirming its commitment to an unequivocal, zero-tolerance approach towards discrimination in football.”

WHAT NEXT?

No doubt Liverpool want the whole episode to now blow over and Kenny Dalglish would rather be trying to explain to the media how the £80million plus he’s invested in Andy Carroll, Stewart Downing, Jordan Henderson and Charlie Adam is money well spent.

But if the Suarez questions do go away it will not be for long. There may indeed be a fortnight’s hiatus but with the Uruguayan’s return set to coincide with, of all fixtures, the league return at Old Trafford on February 11, the whole episode will be revisited and pored over in minute detail again.

That’s where Kenny Dalglish and Sir Alex Ferguson come in. The two don’t see eye to eye on many things but a united front will be essential in the build up to that game.

A couple or PR exercises involving players from both clubs – even the two managers if they can be persuaded - may help calm a fixture that’s always waiting to boil over on and off the pitch.

And certainly no throwaway lines from players about how they used to sit or stand in the Kop or Stretford End and realised they could never play for their opponents.

THE FUTURE

The good thing about the whole sorry episode is that all players now know there will be zero tolerance shown to anyone who abuses an opposing player based on the colour of their skin.

The worrying thing is that anyone playing professional football needs reminding of that fact.

But with that in mind the Professional Footballers’ Association is looking to introduce cultural awareness sessions for players.

Young players already attend such sessions and the PFA is now looking to extend this to senior players.

“This is something we are seriously looking into. It’s very important,” said PFA assistant chief Bobby Barnes. “Players need to be aware of what is and isn’t acceptable.

“It’s very important that players, especially foreign players, are aware of cultural differences and of the different buttons that will upset people in our leagues.

“It’s down to the clubs and ourselves to educate players about this.”