In an unprecedented move Fifa has banned Uruguay's Luis Suárez from all "football-related activities" for four months for biting Italy's Giorgio Chiellini, ruling him out of the rest of the World Cup and the start of next season.
The Liverpool striker will not be able to play or train for his club or country for four months after Fifa’s disciplinary committee handed down the hefty sanction.
Uruguay FA president Wilmar Valdez later announced that said the association would appeal against the sanctions, although it will not stop Suárez being banned from Saturday's match because under article 124 of the Fifa disciplinary code it does not have a "suspensive effect".
Speaking outside the Fifa hotel in Rio, he told reporters: “We are preparing our appeal now, we have three days to do it.
“It is an excessive decision and there was not enough evidence and I have seen more aggressive incidents recently.
“It is a severe punishment. I don’t know exactly which arguments they used but it is a tough punishment for Suárez.
“It’s feels like Uruguay has been thrown out of the World Cup. We all know what Suárez means to Uruguay and to football around the world – not having Suárez would be a loss to any team.”
The biting incident, the third in which Suárez has been involved in his career, has also led Fifa’s disciplinary committee to ban the player from even entering any football stadium during the ban.
Suárez has also been banned for nine competitive international matches, beginning with Uruguay’s last-16 clash with Colombia on Saturday, and fined 100,000 Swiss francs (€82,227).
However, Fifa clarified that Suarez’s ban from all “administrative” tasks related to football did not block any possible transfer from Liverpool during the period.
“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,” said Claudio Sulser, the chair of the disciplinary committee, which met late into the night at the Sofitel Hotel on Copacabana.
“The disciplinary committee took into account all the factors of the case and the degree of Mr Suárez’s guilt in accordance with the relevant provisions of the code. The decision comes into force as soon it is communicated.”
The ban means that Suárez, who the Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers hailed as a reformed character last season as he won both footballer of the year prizes, will miss nine Premier League matches, three Champions League games and the third round of the League Cup.
The ban – added to previous penalties for racially abusing Manchester United’s Patrice Evra and for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic, mean that he will have been suspended for 34 matches since 2010 without receiving a single red card on the pitch.
Liverpool’s chief executive Ian Ayre said: “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 four-month ban begins today and will mean the first game he would be available for is the meeting with Newcastle United at St James’ Park on Saturday November 1st.
(Guardian Service)
Liverpool matches that Luis Suarez will miss: August – 16th: v Southampton, home; 23rd: v Man City, away; 30th: v Spurs, away. September – 13th: v Aston Villa, home; 16-17th: Champions League matchday 1; 20th: v West Ham, away; 23rd-24th: League Cup 3rd round; 27th: v Everton, home; 30th - Oct 1st: Champions League matchday 2; October – 4th: v West Brom, home; 18th: v QPR, away; 21st-22nd: Champions League matchday 3; 25th: v Hull, home.
LUIS SUAREZ FACTFILE
1987
Born January 24 in Salto, Uruguay.
2005
Makes professional debut with Montevideo club Nacional, scoring 12 goals in 29 games in his one and only season in South America.
2006
Signs for Dutch side FC Groningen and fires 10 goals in 29 appearances for the club.
2007
February 8 – Makes debut for Uruguay against Colombia and is sent off in the 85th minute.
August: Joins Ajax in a deal reportedly worth €7.5 million.
2010
May: Enjoys his most prolific season in the Netherlands, with 35 goals in 33 Eredivisie matches.
June: Scores three goals to help Uruguay reach the World Cup quarter-finals but is then sent off for a goal-line handball against Ghana in the last eight. Ghana miss the resulting penalty before Uruguay go on to triumph in a shoot-out.
November: Banned for seven matches after being found guilty of biting PSV Eindhoven's Otman Bakkal.
2011
January 28: Liverpool agree a deal worth up to €26.5 million with Ajax for Suarez.
February 2 – Scores on his Liverpool debut in a 2-0 victory over Stoke at Anfield.
July: Scores four goals and is named player of the tournament as Uruguay win Copa America.
October 15: Manchester United defender Patrice Evra makes an allegation that Suarez racially abused him during the 1-1 draw between Liverpool and United.
November 17: Suarez is charged by the English Football Association with racially abusing Evra following a month-long investigation.
December 7: Charged with improper conduct following a gesture to fans as he left the pitch following the 1-0 defeat at Fulham.
December 20: The FA bans Suarez for eight matches and fines him €50,000 for the Evra incident. Liverpool issue a strongly-worded statement in defence of the player.
December 28: Suarez banned for one match and fined €25,000 after admitting improper conduct charge relating to his gesture towards Fulham fans.
2012
February 11: On his return to the first XI, refuses to shake Evra's hand before going on to score in Liverpool's 2-1 loss to Manchester United. Afterwards, Alex Ferguson says he is "a disgrace to Liverpool Football Club", adding: "I would get rid of him if I were them."
February 12: Apologises for his refusal to shake Evra's hand.
August 7: Signs new long-term contract with Liverpool.
2013
April 21: Bites Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic on the arm before going on to score equaliser in 2-2 draw at Anfield. Apologises for his "inexcusable behaviour" soon after the match.
April 22: Fined by club and charged by the FA with violent conduct for Ivanovic incident. Pledges to donate money to Hillsborough Family Support Group. Managing director Ian Ayre issues statement saying the club want Suarez to see out his contract, which runs until summer 2016.
April 24: Handed 10-game ban by an independent regulatory commission for biting Ivanovic, confirmed by the FA.
May 31: Signals his intentions to leave Liverpool.
August 6: Repeats his desire to leave after a bid from Arsenal of £40,000,001 is turned down. Made to train away from the first team.
August 14: Returns to first-team training and apologies for trying to leave.
September 25: Makes his return from suspension.
December 20: After scoring 17 goals since his return, signs a new long-term contract with the Reds.
2014
April 20: Scores the second goal in a 3-2 win over Norwich to become the first Liverpool player to score 30 league goals in a season since Ian Rush in 1987.
April 27: Wins the Professional Footballers' Association's Player of the Year award.
June 24: Finds himself at the centre of further controversy, and the subject of Fifa disciplinary proceedings, when footage shows him appearing to bite Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini while playing for Uruguay in a World Cup Group D match.
June 26: Fifa announces Suarez has been suspended for nine international matches and banned from all football activity for four months, plus fined 100,000 Swiss francs for the incident.
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