THE ENGLISH Football Association will contact Liverpool and Manchester United to remind both clubs of their responsibilities ahead of a potentially explosive FA Cup fourth round meeting at Anfield later this month.

Merseyside police will be on a state of alert when Alex Ferguson’s team, and up to 6,000 United fans, return to Anfield three months after the Premier League encounter that resulted in an eight-match ban for the Liverpool striker Luis Suarez for racially abusing United’s Patrice Evra.

The fallout from the controversy, with Liverpool offering staunch support for the Uruguayan while questioning the integrity of Evra, has soured relations between the clubs.

Anfield officials had intended to approach their United counterparts in an attempt to ease the tension around the league match at Old Trafford on February 11th, before the FA Cup draw brought the plan forward.

Both clubs will also receive written reminders of the behaviour expected of them from the FA before the tie on the weekend of January 28th-29th.

Although this is not uncommon for high-profile fixtures, the organisation’s advice may exceed the standard warning on players’ behaviour. Kenny Dalglish, the Liverpool manager, and Ferguson may be asked to refrain from any confrontational comments and an FA-appointed crowd control adviser will be present at Anfield.

Dalglish yesterday said Liverpool’s support for Suarez, including the controversial T-shirts worn at Wigan, does not mean the club are uninterested in fighting racism. “The players showed support for Luis, which was fantastic, but then some people interpreted that wrongly as the players saying they’re not interested in the fight against racism,” the manager said. “That is utterly rubbish . . . we don’t want racism anywhere near football.

“Over the past few weeks there has been a perception that the football club isn’t doing what it should be doing, but I don’t think the football club would ever go down that road. We will always support the official campaigns related to racism.

“Obviously there was a big issue with Luis. The players showed support for Luis which was fantastic, but then some people interpreted that wrongly as the players saying they’re not interested in the fight against racism. That is totally and utterly rubbish. If we can help to eradicate racism or discrimination from any part of the society, with the help of anybody at Liverpool Football Club, then that help will be forthcoming.”

Kick-off time at Anfield is also under consideration by the FA, the clubs and Merseyside police. Although ITV requests the games it wishes to broadcast, and later kick-off times generally attract higher viewing figures, the FA makes the final decision. The Manchester derby attracted more than eight million viewers on Sunday with a 1pm kick-off.

Liverpool are also in talks with the council over United’s ticket allocation. Away teams are entitled to 15 per cent for an FA Cup tie – 6,000 at Anfield – but that can be reduced on safety grounds. They received 1,960 tickets for the October game, instead of the usual 3,000, due to persistent standing and aisle-blocking at previous games. That decision was taken by the council and it has the power to reduce their allocation again. However, it is not expected to do so on this occasion.

The FA, meanwhile, has asked Liverpool and Oldham for their observations into the alleged racist abuse that left Tom Adeyemi in tears during the FA Cup tie at Anfield on Friday night. Liverpool issued an apology on Sunday and a 20-year-old from Aintree has been released on police bail.

Dalglish said: “All we can say – it’s a police matter – is if Tom, the police want any help in any way, shape or form then we’ll give it to them. For me, the most important thing is that as a football club we all stick together. We all have a responsibility to act responsibly.”

The Scot does not believe Liverpool would have the worldwide following they enjoy if they were perceived as being racists. He said: “Our club is based on being a football club serving the community, and whoever is in the community we will treat as an equal. It never has been a club that’s discriminated and never will be one that discriminates against anyone else.

“For us, the football club is more important than any one individual, whether that person be a supporter, a player or the owner. It’s not about the individual, it’s about the football club and we should be very proud of this football club.”