London – Claims by Manchester United's Patrice Evra that he was racially abused by Liverpool's Luis Suarez in last weekend's Premier League clash have yet to be backed up by any television footage, British newspaper reports said on Tuesday.
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said on Monday that Evra was adamant he wants to continue his claim and the Football Association has promised to investigate.
Suarez said he was upset by the accusations and denies any wrongdoing and The Guardian said on Tuesday that Sky Sports, who televised the match, “has not come across any footage that sheds light on the matter”.
Evra told French television station Canal Plus that Suarez abused him “more than 10 times” during Saturday's 1-1 draw at Anfield and that “we can see thanks to television what he (Suarez) said”.
As United prepared for Tuesday's Champions League clash with Otelul Galati in Romania, Ferguson said it was a delicate matter.
“We spoke to Patrice today and he's adamant that he wants to follow it on,” Ferguson said.
“It's not an easy one because everyone knows that Manchester United and Liverpool have great responsibilities in terms of what happens on the field.
“I thought Saturday's game was a terrific game and both sets of fans were good; there was none of the silly chanting we've heard in previous years and both sets of supporters deserve praise for that.
“It's not something that we want to level at Liverpool, and it's not against Liverpool. Obviously Patrice feels very aggrieved at what was said to him and it rests in the hands of the FA now.”
The Guardian said the FA would contact Evra to discuss the claim when United return from Romania. – Sapa-dpa