Liverpool's campaign of support for Luis Suarez is harming their international reputation, according to anti-racism campaigners.

Striker Suarez was last month found guilty of racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra in a match on October 15 and banned for eight matches.

The Football Association yesterday published a 115-page report listing the reasons behind the judgment of an independent commission, in which they said Suarez had used the words "negro" or "negros" seven times in a two-minute period of the Anfield clash.

The finding is potentially embarrassing for the Anfield club, who have been unwavering in their support of the 24-year-old Uruguay international.

The Liverpool players wore t-shirts showing their support for Suarez before last month's game against Wigan the day after he received the ban, a gesture which was heavily criticised at the time, while manager Kenny Dalglish tweeted that fans should not let him walk alone.

But Piara Powar, executive director of Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE), a network of anti-racism groups in the continent, believes it is time for the club to change their stance.

Powar said: "Luis Suarez and Liverpool FC have the right to appeal, however we would call on the club to think again about their public campaign to dispute the charges and contest the principles involved in the case.

"As a club with a good international standing the vehemence of their campaign is unquestionably causing them reputational harm."

The FA's case, according to the report, was that Evra asked Suarez why he had kicked him, to which the forward replied: "Because you are black."

When Evra challenged him to repeat the answer and said he would "punch him", Suarez said: "I don't speak to blacks."

According to the report, Evra then told Suarez he was going to hit him, to which the Uruguay international replied in Spanish: "Dale, negro, negro, negro." That translates to: "Okay, blackie, blackie, blackie."

Powar believes racial abuse between players remains an "unspoken taboo" in the English game, and hopes the Suarez case will prove to be a watershed moment.

"The Football Association's published judgment from the Suarez-Evra incident is welcome," Powar said.

"It appears the FA have taken their time to initiate a process that was both fair in its implementation of football rules, and in accordance with the principles of British justice.

"As an international non-governmental organisation we think the investigation and judgment sets the bar for governing bodies globally.

"Racial abuse between players on the field of play has been an unspoken taboo for too long, an area that has been unsatisfactorily dealt with by English football despite many cases over the past 10 years."

Last night Liverpool issued a statement saying they would take "the necessary amount of time to read, digest and properly consider the contents" of the judgment before deciding on their next move.

Liverpool have been given until January 13 to respond, meaning Suarez will be free to play in their next three games, including their Carling Cup semi-final, first leg trip to Manchester City on January 11.

THE JUDGEMENT IN SUMMARY

The key points from the 115-page document produced by the independent regulatory commission about the events which occurred on October 15.

:: The commission found Suarez used the words "negro" or "negros" seven times during a confrontation with Evra in the 63rd minute of the match, five minutes after he had fouled the defender.

:: Suarez also pinched Evra's skin and put his hand on the back of his head. These actions were not found by the commission to be racist.

:: The commission decided whether the words or behaviour were abusive or insulting to be an objective matter and did not depend on Suarez's intent.

:: The commission received expert evidence as to the use of the word "negro" in Uruguay. While the word can be used as a noun to address people in a non-offensive way, it can also carry negative connotations. The experts considered that if Suarez said the things Evra alleged, they would be considered racially offensive in Uruguay.

:: While Evra was a credible, consistent witness, Suarez was found to be unreliable in relation to matters of critical importance. The commission found Suarez's explanation that the use of the words was conciliatory and friendly was "unsustainable" and "incredible". This undermined the credibility of his evidence.

:: The argument that Evra made up the allegations because Suarez refused to apologise for a foul was rejected as implausible and inconsistent with the commission's assessment of Evra.

:: FA guidelines suggest that for an offence with a racial element, the starting point should be to double the usual sanction. The usual sanction for a dismissal for using insulting words would be a two-match ban. However, the commission judged the offence to be far more serious than a single use of the word "negro" and that a four-match ban would be insufficient. They therefore concluded an eight-match ban and £40,000 fine were proportionate.

:: While the commission found Suarez to have used insulting comments which included a reference to skin colour, neither the commission nor Evra believes Suarez to be a racist.