Uruguay and Liverpool were both stunned today when FIFA announced that Luis Suarez had been suspended from all football-related activity for four months for biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini.
The Premier League’s player of the year will miss the rest of the World Cup and well as at least the first nine games of the Premier League season plus three Champions League matches.
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,” Claudio Sulser, chairman of the Fifa disciplinary committee, said in a statement.
Uruguay Football Association president Wilmar Valdez added:
“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 Suarez.”
At international level, Suarez will miss the rest of the World Cup can Uruguay’s Copa America campaign.
At the club level, his loss is a huge blow to Liverpool and Reds chief executive Ian Ayre in a statement 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.”
When Suarez was suspended last season for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic, he was able to still train with the club, which meant he was fit to play as soon as his ban ended. If Suarez cannot train with Liverpool between now and late October, there is no way that he will be fit and ready to play immediately.
The ban however does not prevent Liverpool from selling him, with Barcelona reportedly very interested in the striker.
What do you think of the Suarez ban? What does Liverpool do now, do they keep him or sell him?