Ayre on Oldham, racism & FA Cup

While the Reds stressed in a statement last night they recognise the vast majority of their fans from all corners of the globe are firmly behind our stance on these issues, Ayre took the opportunity to reflect on a difficult couple of weeks off the field at Anfield and pledged the club's full support in the battle to kick racism out of football.

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Firstly Ian, a lot has been said and written about Liverpool Football club over the last few weeks. Can you just tell us about the reasons for putting out the statement on Sunday night?

We thought it was important that, with what went on at the game on Friday, and what's gone on over the last few months, to just reiterate the club's stance, generally, on racism and on any form of discrimination.

It's a very important matter and it's something that's very topical at the moment but as a football club it's important to us that everybody knows where we stand on that type of issue.

We have been very outspoken and very involved in this type of issue in the past and we have some fantastic people who work every day on those types of programmes. So it was important to make that point because I think there's been a lot said and for the people who work on this stuff every day, here, and across the world in fact, it was important for them.  It's disappointing for them that they have to go to work today, perhaps, with that milling around in Liverpool's air but that's not the case.

We have a very strong stance on these issues - we are very supportive of these issues and for that reason we put out the statement.

As we know, there was an incident at Anfield on Friday night, what can you tell us about what has happened since then?

What I can tell you is very little, simply because it is subject to a police investigation now, so we are very limited in what we can talk about. What I can tell you is that the club has given every assistance it could to the police. We worked very closely with them across the weekend, providing them with all the information we could from video footage to seat and ticket information.

We also worked with Oldham Athletic, who I have to say were absolutely fantastic, and with the player as well. I think it was a great example of everybody working together for the right outcome. We have worked very hard on that and what's important to us is that fans and people know that we take it very seriously and any incident of that type, whoever it's with, we will apply the maximum level of discipline that we can to anyone found guilty of any such abuse.

Is it important to stress that as a club we do liaise with and work with leading organisations in various areas?

Of course we do, yes. We've won awards and been involved with some of the biggest and most high profile organisations around these types of programmes. Certainly nothing that has been said, either about us or in the media, would detract from that. We are very committed to all of those programmes. We are a leading club in those programmes and we'll always continue to be so.

And we have to ask for your reaction to the FA Cup fourth Round draw...

I think there were definitely a few raised eyebrows from everyone after that draw! Look, Liverpool vs. Man United is probably the best fixture in the world and the F.A. Cup is one of the best competitions in the world, so it's a great match up.

With all that's gone on, people will talk about it and talk about it but I think the most important thing for us is to make sure that we make it a great day and a great game. We need to make sure that we all work together to make sure that everybody concentrates on the excitement of the football and the F.A. Cup and not on anything else. We are certainly committed to that.