FIFA Bans Suarez for Four Months after Biting Incident
The biter temporarily bites the dust.
Yahoo! Sports reports that FIFA banned Luis Suarez for nine international matches and all related football activity for four months after the biting incident with Italy' Giorgo Chiellini.
The incident took place during the final minutes of Uruguay's victory over Italy in the preliminary stages of the 2014 World Cup. With the win, Uruguay assured itself of a place in the knockout matches.
While Uruguay will move on, Suarez will move out. The 27-year-old Liverpool striker will miss out on nine Premier League games as well as the Champions League and Capital One Cup matches before the end of October. This is all working under the presumption that Suarez will stay with his mother club.
FIFA initiated immediate investigations into the matter and the independent disciplinary panel affirmed the punishment of banning the player. Uruguay federation president Wilmer Valdez however, conveyed last Thursday that their camp will launch an appeal.
Nevertheless, the sanctions shall stand and the club will be without the services of their striker. The incident occurred when Suarez and Chiellini rumbled for the ball in the penalty area. Suarez fell to the ground and held his mouth, apparently suggesting that he was elbowed in the area but the Juventus centre Chiellini, pulled down his shirt and revealed a bite mark on his left shoulder as he complained to the referee.
Aside from the suspension, Suarez is ordered to pay a hefty fine of 100,000 Swiss francs (65,700 pounds).
A FIFA statement said: "The player Luis Suarez is to be suspended for nine official matches. The first match of this suspension is to be served in the upcoming [round of 16] FIFA World Cup fixture between Colombia and Uruguay. The remaining match suspensions shall be served in Uruguay's next FIFA World Cup matches, as long as the team qualifies, and/or in the representative team's subsequent official matches."
"The player is banned from taking part in any kind of football-related activity -- administrative, sports or any other -- for a period of four months. A stadium ban is pronounced against Luis Suarez, who is prohibited from entering the confines of any stadium during the period of the ban."