Suarez will NOT appeal 10-match FA ban for biting Ivanovic… and it's his own decision
PUBLISHED:
12:40 GMT, 26 April 2013
|
UPDATED:
13:02 GMT, 26 April 2013
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Luis Suarez will not appeal the 10-match ban handed to him by the FA for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic.
Suarez had until midday today to lodge an appeal, with the club reportedly leaving the decision to the Uruguayan himself.
The 26-year-old had already accepted the three-match suspension for violent conduct, but will not contest the additional punishment.
Scroll down for video of Brendan Rodgers Press Conference
Appeal: Suarez has decided to fight against the 10-match ban he was handed by the Football Association
A three-person Independent Regulatory Commission upheld The FA’s claim that a suspension of three matches was clearly insufficient and the player will now serve a further seven first-team matches in addition to the standard three.
The suspension begins with immediate effect and applies to Liverpool's next ten domestic first-team fixtures.
Closed: Suarez during a training session at Melwood Training Ground on Wednesday
Blame game: Graham Poll is relieved referee Kevin Friend (right) was not blamed for missing the incident
Prime Minister David Cameron said today that Suarez's bite on Ivanovic set an 'appalling example' to his seven-year-old son.
Cameron told BBC Radio Five Live this morning that his intervention in the matter was merely that of a concerned father.
'I made my own views clear just as a dad watching the game,' he said.
Prime criticism: Even Prime Minister David Cameron, seen here appearing on BBC Breakfast this morning, told BBC Radio Five Live this morning that players behaving like this sets an 'appalling example'
'I've got a seven-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.'
Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers yesterday accused the FA of double standards and throwing Suarez out with the ‘garbage’.
Rodgers spoke publicly
yesterday for the first time since Suarez was banned for 10 games for
biting Ivanovic.
And he did not hold back,
insisting the punishment was ‘not right’ and ‘too severe’.
Goalkeeper
Pepe Reina went even further, saying it was ‘absurd, out of proportion
and unfair’ and that the authorities had ‘got it in for Luis’.
He needs help: Suarez has launched an impassioned defence of his under-fire striker
Brendan Rodgers 'shocked' by length of Suarez ban
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Rodgers believes the three-person Independent Regulatory Committee that imposed the ban were prejudiced by the fact the FA had already announced they considered the offence worthy of more than a three-match ban.
Further to that, he claimed the FA’s disciplinary procedures were inconsistent and said he was mystified by the Prime Minister’s decision to enter the debate.
Rodgers said: ‘Luis has not let me down one bit. He is a player who fell well below the standards of this football club but that doesn’t mean he should be thrown to the garbage, which is what has happened from a lot of people these last few days.
In the mix: Suarez looked in high spirits during this afternoon's training session on Merseyside
‘I certainly won’t be prepared to do
that. I don’t believe the sanction fits with what he did. There’s no
doubt if you have those high-profile figures making those sorts of
statements, there will be a bias.
‘It’s human nature. If you have people reading and listening to things,
when they sit down to talk about it supposedly for the first time,
people would argue whether they already had a decision in their minds.
That process, for me, would need to change.
‘You have an FA council member, an FA county representative and an
ex-player, so I don’t know how it is independent. That has to be looked
at and this is probably not the first time it’s been said.
All smiles: Luis Suarez trains with Liverpool the day after he was hit with a ten-game ban
‘I felt Luis would maybe get more than three games. But we had hoped
there would be something in there that would allow him a greater
opportunity to rehabilitate. The bigger thing in all of this is to try
to make sure it doesn’t happen again.’
Rodgers made a clumsy analogy yesterday in comparing Suarez’s moment of madness to a tennis player smashing his racket.
But he argued that the length of the punishment was unfair in comparison
to two similar cases in 2006; one saw Tottenham’s Jermain Defoe escape
punishment for biting West Ham’s Javier Mascherano, while the other saw
Chester’s Sean Hessey receive five matches for biting Stockport’s Liam
Dickinson.
‘I feel the punishment has been against the man rather than the
incident,’ Rodgers said. ‘That is my underlying feeling. There was
euphoria around the time that it happened. Everyone has their opinion.
That’s fine. But when you come away and assess it in the cold light of
day, it was violent conduct.’
Bite club: Suarez sunk his teeth into Branislav Ivanovic during the Premier League match at Anfield
JAMIE CARRAGHER'S VERDICT
CLICK HERE: Luis was wrong, but before we hound him out let's remember other Liverpool legends were not exactly saints
Again, of course, there is a flaw in Rodgers’ argument. The FA stated
their case that a three-game ban for Suarez was insufficient on the same
day it was revealed Suarez felt three games was ample.
Both sides
stated their positions and it was then left to the independent committee
to make a decision.
The committee can take into consideration past misdemeanours and the
fact Suarez had been banned for 10 games in his Liverpool career, not to
mention his seven-match suspension at Ajax for biting PSV Eindhoven’s
Otman Bakkal, would have counted against him.
tasty: The bizarre clash was missed by referee Kevin Friend, who had to be told the specifics by Ivanovic
The FA have also not always been successful in arguing for longer
suspensions. In January, an independent panel decided a three-game ban
for Chelsea’s Eden Hazard was sufficient after he tangled with a
Swansea ball boy. On that occasion the FA had called for a longer ban,
too.
Pardew baffled by FA action
Alan Pardew has branded the FA’s disciplinary system flawed and wants the organisation’s decisions to be more consistent.
The Newcastle manager hit out after Wigan’s Callum McManaman escaped a ban for his horror challenge on Toon defender Massadio Hadaira but Liverpool’s Luis Suarez was banned for 10 games after biting Branislav Ivanovic of Chelsea.
‘I don’t think that’s reasonable,’ Pardew said. ‘That is a flaw in the system. All Premier League managers are looking for that committee to give us the answers as to why. You’re always going to have grey areas when it comes to discipline and fines but at least have some consistency. It’s consistency of punishments we’re looking for.
‘The FA need to answer why it was 10 games for Suarez. It’s interesting why it was.’
Suarez serves the first game of his ban when Liverpool play at Newcastle on Saturday.
Liverpool have promised to stand by Suarez, regardless of whether he
appeals, but they are aware his ban could be increased at a new hearing.
Former Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann said yesterday Suarez should
‘accept it and get on with it’.
Rodgers, in a club suit at the Melwood training ground rather than his
customary tracksuit, has spoken several times with Suarez and his agent,
Pere Guardiola, in recent days. There will be more discussions and
Suarez will train as normal. But Rodgers admitted the club’s greatest
asset may consider whether he wants to continue playing in England.
‘This is a guy who I see on a daily basis trying very hard,’ said
Rodgers. ‘His passions in life are his family and Liverpool Football
Club. It is part of his make-up, you can’t change that. But he is trying
to adapt the traits he has grown up with to the culture here.
‘Each time he makes a step forward we beat him with a stick and beat him
down. I can understand if he felt like that in a moment of reflection.
‘Am I worried he will knock on my door I am not thinking about that. I
can guide him, like I’ve done this year, and will tell him when he’s
done wrong. We will plan for the future with Luis. There is no other
thought. Luis is very much a player I believe will be here.’
Bayern Munich, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain have been linked with
Suarez but Rodgers added: ‘I’ve had a lot of discussions with Pere
Guardiola that have been very strong. They are very happy with what the
club has done, not only to protect the player but to support him.
‘The objective is to make sure it doesn’t happen again and that is at the forefront of our minds.’
Follows him: Suarez's clash with Patrice Evra in 2011 resulted in an eight-game ban for the Liverpool man
VIDEO Liverpool's Managing Director on Suarez controversy
Liverpool to stand by Suarez
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Look, ref: Ivanovic shows his arm to referee Kevin Friend following the biting incident at Anfield yesterday
Luis Suarez appears to bite Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic
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Previous: Suarez bites Otman Bakkal of PSV while playing for Ajax
Repeat The PSV star was as perplexed as Ivanovic by Suarez's behaviour
It's not the first time Suarez has used his teeth
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OTHER SUAREZ CONTROVERSIES
Liverpool forward Luis Suarez is back in the spotlight after appearing to bite Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic on the arm during the 2-2 draw with Chelsea at Anfield, going on to score a late equaliser.
Here are some of the previous controversies surrounding the Uruguayan forward.
February 2007: Suarez made his international debut for Uruguay against Colombia but was sent off in the final minutes after being shown a second yellow card for dissent.
November 2007: Joined Ajax from Uruguayan side Nacional but he was later suspended by the Dutch giants after a half-time dressing-room altercation with team-mate Albert Luque.
July 2010: During the 2010 World Cup quarter-finals, Suarez prevented Ghana's Dominic Adiyiah from scoring in the final minute with a deliberate handball on the line and was subsequently sent off. A penalty was awarded but missed by Asamoah Gyan and footage showed Suarez celebrating on the sidelines. Uruguay eventually went through to the last four on penalties.
November 2010: Suarez was handed a seven-match ban by the Dutch FA and fined by his club for biting PSV Eindhoven midfielder Otman Bakkal during an Eredivisie match.
October 2011: Following his move to Liverpool in January 2011, he was involved in a tackle with Everton's Jack Rodwell and goes down with apparent minimal contact. Rodwell was then sent off.
October 2011: Suarez was alleged to have racially abused Manchester United's Patrice Evra during a Premier League match. Suarez was later found guilty by an independent regulatory commission and banned for eight matches and fined 40,000.
December 2011: Was seen making an offensive gesture towards Fulham fans. At this time he had already been charged by the Football Association over the racism incident, although not yet punished, but was handed a further one-match ban for the gesture.
February 2012: United and Liverpool met again at Old Trafford, but more controversy blew up as Suarez refused to shake Evra's hand before kick-off.
October 2012: Celebrated a goal against Everton by diving in front of Toffees boss David Moyes who had earlier claimed that 'divers' such as Suarez were putting fans off the English game.
January 2013: Handles the ball prior to scoring Liverpool's winner in the FA Cup third round tie at Mansfield.
April 2013: Bites Branislav Ivanovic on the arm but
escapes punishment on the pitch as the referee fails to see it, and
scores Liverpool's equaliser seven minutes into stoppage time as they
draw 2-2 with Chelsea at Anfield. Fined by club the following day and
charged with violent conduct by the FA. Subsequently handed a 10-match
ban by an independent regulatory commission.
