Liverpool’s Suarez won’t appeal 10-match bite ban
LONDON - Agence France-Presse
Lİverpool’s problem child Luis Suarez will not be lodging an appeal against his 10-match ban for biting Chelsea’s Ivanovic during last week’s game. AFP photo
Liverpool forward Luis Suarez has not lodged an appeal against a 10-match ban for biting an opponent, England’s Football Association (FA) governing body said on April 26.Uruguay striker Suarez, 26, was suspended on April 24 after he was shown to have bitten Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic on the arm last weekend.
The Anfield club had said they were shocked at the severity of the ban, which rules him out for the rest of the season and into the next, and had until 1100 GMT on April 26 to lodge an appeal.
But the FA said on its website thefa.com: “Liverpool forward Luis Suarez has not appealed the suspension issued to him by an Independent Regulatory Commission this week.
“The suspension begins with immediate effect and applies to Liverpool FC’s next ten domestic first-team fixtures.”
Reds dismayed
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers had expressed dismay at the length of the ban and on April 25 slammed the FA for indicating ahead of the hearing that the suspension would top the statutory three matches, the organization regarding that as “insufficient” on this occasion.
Rodgers said: “If you are an independent panel and yet the day beforehand the FA come out and say he [Suarez] will serve more than three games it is not independent because they are already putting pressure on the sanction.
“There is a prejudice there straightaway. Everyone has their opinion, which is normal.”
The Premier League second top scorer with 23 goals, one behind Manchester United’s Robin Van Persie, Suarez will miss the rest of this season and the first six games of next season.
Liverpool has pointed out that previous instances of violent conduct were dealt with leniently and they feel the FA has been inconsistent amid claims that Suarez has paid the price for his controversial personality.
Rodgers referred to the 2006 cases of Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe, who escaped with just a booking for biting West Ham’s Javier Mascherano, and Chester’s Sean Hessey, who was banned for five matches for a bite on Stockport’s Liam Dickinson.
“It is the severity of the ban that hurt most,” Rodgers said.