Luis Suarez has apologised for any offence he may have caused when he racially abused Patrice Evra but he has stopped short of offering a apology to the Manchester United defender.
Suarez is serving an eight-match ban imposed by the Football Association after he was found guilty of directing racist remarks at Evra during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield in October.
The Liverpool striker claims he only used the word 'negro' once and did not intend to cause any offence but he decided not to appeal the suspension preferring to carry out the ban "with the resignation of someone who hasn't done anything wrong".
He had now apologised for the racist language but he has refused to extend it to Evra.
"I admitted to the commission that I said a word in Spanish once and only once," Evra said in a statement.
"I told the panel members that I will not use it again on a football pitch in England.
"I never, ever used this word in a derogatory way and if it offends anyone then I want to apologise for that."
Meanwhile, Professional Footballers' Association chief executive Gordon Taylor has warned that Suarez's case proves that officials within the game are united in their goal to stamp out racism within the sport.
"It's a lesson to all of us...that all players coming into our game from different countries understand and accept what we are about - equality and diversity," he said.
"We have got probably the most multi-cultural game in the world so it's important to set the right example.
"We don't want him (Evra) feeling a victim. We want our black players to feel comfortable that racism can be dealt with in football terms, as well as the law of the land."