The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said on Thursday that Uruguay forward Luis Suarez had lost his appeal against his four-month ban for biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini during a World Cup match. He will, however, be allowed to train with his new club Barcelona.
Suarez is one of the world’s best footballers but also one of the most volatile, with a history of controversy.
Here are the details of the main flashpoints in Suarez’s incident-packed career.
July 2, 2010. In the World Cup quarterfinals in South Africa, Suarez used his hand in the closing seconds of extra time to block a header that looked a certain goal for Ghana with the game locked at 1-1.
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He was sent off but punched the air in joy when Ghana missed the resulting penalty. Uruguay won the match in a penalty shootout, stopping Ghana from becoming the first African team to reach the last four. His punishment was to miss the semifinal which his team lost.
November 20, 2010. Playing for Ajax Amsterdam, Suarez sunk his teeth into PSV Eindhoven player Otman Bakkal’s shoulder. The offence, the first of his three major biting incidents, earned Suarez a seven-match ban and a nickname of the “Cannibal of Ajax” in Dutch media.
October 15, 2011. Now playing for Liverpool, Suarez was accused of racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra during a Premier League match. He was banned for eight games and fined 40 000 pounds ($68 000).
April 21, 2013. In a match against Chelsea, Suarez bit defender Branislav Ivanovic on the arm. He was banned for 10 games and further vilified by the British media and public.
June 24, 2014. In Uruguay’s final group match against Italy at the World Cup in Brazil, with the score at 0-0, Suarez bit defender Giorgio Chiellini on the shoulder before rolling on the ground and clutching his teeth. The Italians were still protesting when Uruguay scored to put them out of the tournament.
Fifa banned Suarez for nine international matches, suspended him from any football-related activity for four months, and fined him 100 000 Swiss francs ($111 000).
August 14, 2014. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld the ban but ruled that Suarez would be allowed to train and attend matches with his new club Barcelona. (spersport.com)
Neymar resumes training in Barca
Neymar has returned to team training with Barcelona for the first time since fracturing a vertebra in his back at the World Cup.
Barcelona says Neymar completed his first full training session with the rest of the team on Wednesday, although he has not yet been cleared by team doctors to play games.
The Brazil star hurt his back in a collision with a Colombian defender during the World Cup quarterfinals last month, ruling him out of the rest of the competition. Without him, Brazil lost 7-1 to Germany in the semifinals.
Barcelona hosts Elche on August 24 in the opening match of the Spanish league season. (supersport.com)
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