Suarez’s four-month biting ban to be upholds by Courts

 

Luis Suarez’s four-month biting ban has been upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but the Uruguay striker can now train with new club Barcelona.

A full explanation of the ruling will not be published until a later date.

Suarez’s lawyers argued world governing body FIFA’s decision to suspend him from all “football-related activity” for biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup was excessive.

Suarez, 27, will be available from El Clasico at Real Madrid on October 26.

The Uruguay striker will continue to serve a nine-match international ban but, having previously been banned from all “football-related activity”, he can now train and attend matches.

“The sanctions imposed on the player by Fifa have been generally confirmed,” the Court of Arbitration for Sport said in a statement. Continue...

Cas described the ban imposed by FIFA on Suarez from taking part in any football activity as “excessive”.

The panel ruled banning Suarez from training would have meant the ban would still have an impact on the player after the end of the suspension.

Suarez’s legal team said the appeal was a success after they argued FIFA had “misapplied its own rules when considering the case and the sanction it imposed was disproportionate”.

Although the team confirmed the possibility of appealing the Cas decision to the Swiss Supreme Court, the grounds for appeal are “very restricted”.

Suarez was a Liverpool player at the time of his clash with Chiellini but has since left Anfield to join Barcelona in a £75m deal.

Barcelona’s La Liga season starts at home to Elche on August 24, meaning Suarez will miss eight games before he can make his debut for the Catalan giants.

The ban, handed down by world governing body Fifa, is the longest in World Cup history.

Suarez apologised some time after the incident, despite initially claiming to have lost his balance.

He has previously been suspended for biting PSV Eindhoven midfielder Otman Bakkal and Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic.

He was also given an eight-match suspension and fined £40,000 for racially abusing Manchester United’s Patrice Evra in 2011.