FIFA handed down the dramatic punishment after Suarez, the brilliant but troubled striker who was supposed to anchor a talented Uruguayan squad, bit an opposing player during Tuesday's match against Italy. FIFA promised a swift decision after the incident and they certainly delivered, despite Suarez's attempts to defend himself. But given his history with consuming human flesh on the field, his defense was always going to be flimsy. Suarez won't take the field again until November 1, at the very earliest, when Liverpool plays Newcastle in the English Premier League.
The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has decided that: ·
1.The player Luis Suárez is regarded as having breached art. 48 par. 1 lit. d of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC) (assault), and art. 57 of the FDC (an act of unsporting behaviour towards another player).
2.The player Luis Suárez is to be suspended for nine (9) official matches. The first match of this suspension is to be served in the upcoming FIFA World Cup™ fixture between Colombia and Uruguay on 28 June 2014. The remaining match suspensions shall be served in Uruguay’s next FIFA World Cup match(es), as long as the team qualifies, and/or in the representative team’s subsequent official matches in accordance with art. 38 par. 2a) of the FDC.
3.The player Luis Suárez is banned from taking part in any kind of football-related activity (administrative, sports or any other) for a period of four (4) months in accordance with art. 22 of the FDC.
4.A stadium ban is pronounced against the player Luis Suárez in accordance with art. 21 of the FDC as follows: the player Luis Suárez is prohibited from entering the confines of any stadium during the period of the ban (point 3). The player Luis Suárez is prohibited from entering the confines of any stadium in which the representative team of Uruguay is playing while he has to serve the nine-match suspension (point 2).
5.The player Luis Suárez is ordered to pay a fine in the amount of CHF 100,000.
“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. The Disciplinary Committee took into account all the factors of the case and the degree of Mr Suárez’s guilt in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Code. The decision comes into force as soon it is communicated,” said Claudio Sulser, chairman of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee.
It is the third time in his career that Suárez, named footballer of the year last season by both his fellow professionals and journalists, has been banned for sinking his teeth into an opponent. Added to previous penalties for racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra and for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic, it means that he will have been suspended for 34 matches since 2010.
No comments: