Liverpool striker Luis Suarez will
serve a 10-match ban for biting an
opponent during a Premier League
game after deciding not to appeal
one of English football's harshest
sanctions for on-the-field
misbehaviour.
The Uruguay international won't be
seen on a football pitch in England
until September following his
unprovoked attack on Chelsea
defender Branislav Ivanovic that
sparked widespread condemnation,
including criticism by British Prime
Minister David Cameron for setting
an "appalling" example to
youngsters.
"I would like to explain to everybody
that I decided to accept the ban
because whilst 10 games is clearly
greater than those bans given in
past cases where players have
actually been seriously injured,"
Suarez says in a statement on his
personal website, "I acknowledge
that my actions were not acceptable
on the football pitch so I do not
want to give the wrong impression to
people by making an appeal."
The English Football Association
deemed a regular three-match ban
for violent conduct insufficient in
this case, and an independent panel
on Wednesday punished him with
seven more games.
The panel said Suarez failed to
appreciate "the gravity and
seriousness of this truly exceptional
incident" and wanted to send a
"strong message that such
deplorable behaviours do not have a
place in football."
"While we accepted that Mr.
Suarez's reputation had been
impacted, these unsavoury pictures
would have given a bad image of
English football domestically and
across the world alike," the three-
person panel said in its written
reasons, which were released by the
FA.
The panel also referred to the
possible health repercussions of
Suarez's "truly disgraceful
behaviour."
Suarez, the Premier League's second
top scorer with 23 goals, could have
lodged an appeal against the extra
seven games. If unsuccessful,
however, he risked the possibility of
the FA extending his sanction for
making a frivolous appeal.
He has apologised, and been fined
by Liverpool, for biting Ivanovic's
upper right arm in the second half
of the 2-2 draw between Liverpool
and Chelsea on Monday morning
(NZT).
"I hope that all the
people who I have
offended at Anfield last
(Monday morning) will
grant me forgiveness and I
again repeat my personal
apology to Branislav,"
Suarez added.
Suarez's suspension will
begin immediately,
meaning he will miss the
last four games of this
season and the first six of
the next. Liverpool is
seventh in the standings
and unlikely to qualify for
Europe next season.
Despite his latest transgression -
broadcast live to a global television
audience - the headline-grabbing
striker has been passionately
defended by Liverpool manager
Brendan Rodgers, other Premier
League coaches and his teammates,
who feel Suarez has been treated
differently by the FA because of his
past disciplinary record. Suarez has
previously been suspended for seven
matches for biting an opponent in a
Dutch league game in 2010 and also
for eight games for racially abusing
Manchester United defender Patrice
Evra in 2011.
However, the independent panel
stressed that it "did not take into
consideration any previous
disciplinary records of Mr. Suarez
and considered the offense in
isolation."
"We are all disappointed at the
severity of the punishment and in
particular the differing standards
that have been applied across
various previous incidents,"
Liverpool
managing director Ian Ayre said in a
club statement.
"Luis is an important member of our
team and nothing has changed in
that regard. We are committed to
helping him improve his conduct
and he will be given our full
support."
Rodgers, who said the punishment
had been given "against the man
rather than the incident," added in
the statement that the club had to
"move on and support Luis in his
decision."
Cameron said that he welcomed the
tough sanction on one of English
football's most high-profile players.
"I made my own views clear just as a
dad watching the game," Cameron
told the BBC.
"I've got a 7-year-old
son who just loves watching football
and when players behave like this it
just sets the most appalling example
to young people in our country.
"I've read in some newspapers, who
think somehow this isn't serious,"
Cameron added.
"I think it is
serious, when we're trying to bring
up our children properly, they do
see football players as role models."
3news.co.nz
