Luis Suarez banned from all football for four months and for Uruguay for nine matches

Posted Friday, June 27, 2014 by skysports.com

Luis Suarez banned from all football for four months and for Uruguay for nine matches
Luis Suarez: Cannot play football for four months

Luis Suarez has been banned from all football for four months and from international football for nine matches following his bite on Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini.

FIFA have confirmed to Sky Sports News that Suarez will have his World Cup accreditation cancelled and he will not be allowed inside Uruguay's base or stay in the same team hotels as his teammates in Brazil.

He will also be unable to play club football until October 26, ruling him out of Liverpool's opening nine Premier League and three Champions League games - and he will not even be able to train with the rest of the Liverpool squad during that time.

Uruguay Football Association president Wilmar Valdez has already confirmed the association will lodge an appeal and told Chief News Reporter Bryan Swanson: "The player of course, Luis, is very upset - he is very upset about the situation.

"Right now he is looking into it with his family, if he should travel back to Uruguay, and in this case we are going to support him in everything.

"He is not just a football player, he is a human being and it is a very difficult situation for him - and as a human being and a football player he is going to have the full support of the FA and the Uruguayans without a doubt."

"We are looking at the case with the lawyer and we are going to look at our strategy. The situation is being disputed - it really isn't clear and there isn't definitive evidence that allows us to say that this kind of sanction can be applied. We are talking nine games, four months and a financial penalty - so to me it really seems like a completely exaggerated and abusive sanction.

"Fundamentally what we asked of (Sepp) Blatter are guarantees that FIFA as the world's football organisation do everything to make sure the rules are clear and the same for everyone - we are not saying that anyone is going after Uruguay or that anyone is going after Suarez - we are not against sanctions in behaviour that is really outside the rules, we are not against that. What we are wanting is that they are applied equally to all members."

FIFA have revealed the ban will not prevent any potential transfer if Liverpool decide to sell Suarez who is already reported to be back in Montevideo.

Liverpool chief operating officer Ian Ayre said the club will take their time before commenting on the ban, telling their official website: "Liverpool Football Club will wait until we have seen and had time to review the FIFA Disciplinary Committee report before making any further comment."

The Premier League Player of the Year has also been fined just under £66,000.

Claudio Sulser, the chairman of the FIFA disciplinary committee, said the panel had taken into account all the factors in the case.

"Such behaviour cannot be tolerated on any football pitch, and in particular not at a FIFA World Cup when the eyes of millions of people are on the stars on the field," Sulser said.

"The disciplinary committee took into account all the factors of the case and the degree of Mr Suarez's guilt in accordance with the relevant provisions of the code. The decision comes into force as soon it is communicated."

Former Liverpool player John Aldridge says Luis Suarez's four month ban will be hard to take for the Merseyside team.

FIFA vice-president Jim Boyce backed the ban, saying: "I think the punishment that has been handed out to Luis Suarez is fully justified. Hopefully he will have learnt that this type of behaviour cannot be tolerated under any circumstances."