(AP Photo/Jon Super)

LONDON (AP) Luis Suarez apologized Sunday for snubbing Patrice Evra in a pre-match handshake as Liverpool publicly condemned the striker for the first time in a long-running racism row that has tarnished the name of one of England's biggest clubs.

The Uruguay international was widely criticized for failing to shake Evra's hand before Saturday's Premier League game at Old Trafford in the players' first meeting since Suarez was banned for eight matches for racially abusing the United defender in October.

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish, who passionately defended Suarez in a post-match television interview, and the club's American owners also found themselves under fire from critics who claimed the incident had reignited the racism storm that has blighted the English game this season.

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