Uruguay will decide in coming hours whether to appeal a record nine-match ban on star striker Luis Suarez by FIFA for biting an Italy defender during a group match, local media reported on Thursday.
In addition to banning Suarez from nine international matches, FIFA also suspended Suarez for four months from any football-related activity and fined him $112,000 for the incident.
Luis Suarez Incidents
Luis Suarez Incidents
2013: Ten game ban for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic
2011: Eight game ban for racially abusive language toward Patrice Evra of Manchester United
2010: Seven game ban for biting PSV Eindhoven's Otman Bakkal
Uruguay's 1-0 win over Italy was marred by controversy when television replays showed Suarez biting Italy's Giorgio Chiellini in the shoulder.
Officials have suspended Suarez twice before for biting opposing players.
FIFA Statement on Luis Suarez
"Luis Suarez suspended for nine matches and banned for four months
from any football-related activity
The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has reached a decision in the case
related to Luis Suarez of Uruguay following an incident that occurred during the FIFA World Cup match between Italy and Uruguay played on 24 June 2014.
The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has decided that:
The player Luis Suarez 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 behavior towards another player).
The player Luis Suarez 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.
The player Luis Suarez 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.
A stadium ban is pronounced against the player Luis Suarez in accordance with art. 21 of the FDC as follows: the player Luis Suarez is prohibited from entering the confines of any stadium during the period of the ban (point 3). The player Luis Suarez 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).
The player Luis Suarez is ordered to pay a fine in the amount of CHF 100,000.
The decision was notified to the player and the Uruguayan FA today.
"Such behavior 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 Suarez'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.
Thursday Matches
Eight teams hope to play Thursday in the World Cup's last day of pool play Brazil. Torrential rains in the city of Recife could pose problems for the marquee match between the United States and Germany.
In the other Group G game, Ghana's football association has approved the coach's decision to suspend a player from the team.
Ghana's Kevin-Prince Boateng will not play in Thursday's match against Portugal because his indefinite suspension for insulting his coach takes effect immediately.
Both the United States and Germany move on from Group G with a draw, but either team could still qualify with a loss if the other game in the group, Ghana against Portugal, ends in a draw.
Ghana and Portugal need Germany to win to have their best chance of advancing, but even then Portugal would need to rout Ghana in order to have enough goals to leap over the U.S. in a tiebreaker.
In Group H, Belgium has already earned enough points to move on and needs only a draw to clinch first place. It takes on a South Korea squad that like Portugal needs a blowout win, and some more help, to have any chance to advance.
Algeria is second in the group and goes to the so-called knockout round with a win over Russia, but a draw or a loss would open the door to South Korea.
Round of 16
The round of 16 begins Saturday.
Switzerland, France and Nigeria claimed their spots on Wednesday.
Argentina, which came into the day having already clinched its place, finished first in Group F Wednesday with nine points followed by Nigeria with four.
Some information for this report provided by Reuters
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