Uruguay forward Luis Suarez's four-
month playing ban for biting Italy
defender Giorgio Chiellini has been
upheld by the Court of Arbitration for
Sport (CAS) although he will be allowed
train with his new club Barcelona.
CAS said in a statement that it had removed the
clause which banned the 27-year-old from "any
football-related activity" following an appeal by the
Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) on Suarez's
behalf.
The Barca player remains ineligible to play in official
matches during the four-month period, and his nine-
game international ban also stays in force following
the notorious incident during the World Cup group
game on June 24 which Uruguay won 1-0.
However, a spokesman for soccer's world governing
body Fifa said he could play in friendly internationals
for club and country. This could allow him to make
his Barcelona debut against Mexican side Leon on
Monday if selected.
"The sanctions imposed on the player by Fifa have
been generally confirmed," CAS said in a statement.
"However, the 4-month suspension will apply to
official matches only and no longer to other football-
related activities (such as training, promotional
activities and administrative matters)."
"It has however considered that the stadium ban and
the ban from "any football-related activity" were
excessive given that such measures are not
appropriate to sanction the offence committed by
the player and would still have an impact on his
activity after the end of the suspension."
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Suarez's legal team said they had successfully argued
that Fifa had misapplied its own rules when
considering the case and the sanction it imposed on
other football-related activities was
disproportionate.
"As a result, Suarez is now permitted to train and
attend matches with his Barcelona team mates in
preparation for the new season," his lawyers said in a
statement.
Barcelona said in a statement that the forward would
train with the La Liga club on Friday and will be
presented as a Barca player at the Nou Camp on
Monday when they play Leon.
"I expected something different, although not
much," said AUF president Wilmar Valdez in a
statement.
"CAS is a totally independent tribunal and this is to
do with the way people see things, it's a cultural
matter. The way we live football in South America is
different to Europe.
"For us there are things which are normal and which
deserve sanctions, but not such harsh ones.
"The training is something positive because not being
able to train was too tough.
"It was shown in the World Cup, in the matches
Suarez did not play in, that he is a fundamental
player. We will have to work to look for the
appropriate alternatives."
AUF lawyer Daniel Cravo told Sky Sports News: "We
don't think it was the worst behaviour of a player in a
World Cup. We have seen worse situations and the
players haven't been sanctioned in that level."
Uruguay and Italy were drawing 0-0 when the
incident happened late in the game. Shortly
afterwards, Diego Godin headed the winner from a
corner to send the South Americans into the last 16
at Italy's expense.
Suarez went to CAS, which conducted a hearing on
the matter last Friday, after losing a first appeal at
Fifa.
A Liverpool player at the time of the biting incident,
Suarez has since joined Barcelona for a fee reported
to be €81 million by local media.
Banned twice before for biting, Suarez initially
denied sinking his teeth into Chiellini but
photographs of marks on the Italian defender's
shoulder were damning.
CLUTCHING TEETH
Suarez initially claimed that he had been the victim,
falling to the ground and clutching his teeth after the
players clashed.
He eventually accepted responsibility and apologised
for the incident one week later, days after Fifa had
imposed the ban.
"The truth is that my colleague Giorgio Chiellini
suffered the physical result of a bite in the collision
he suffered with me," Suarez said in a statement on
Twitter.
"For this: I deeply regret what happened; I apologise
to Giorgio Chiellini and the entire football family; I
vow to the public that there will never again be
another incident like (that)," he added.
Fifa later explained Suarez was given a heavy
punishment partly because he had twice before been
banned for biting and because he had shown no
remorse at the time.
Despite widespread condemnation of his actions,
general reaction to the ban itself was mixed. It
prompted fury in his South American homeland,
where he was given a hero's welcome on his return
from Brazil during the World Cup.
Chiellini himself said the ban was excessive and
world players' union FIFPro said Suarez had been
"trialled and vilified in public".
FIFPro suggested that part of the ban should be
made conditional and should include an obligation
for Suarez to seek treatment.
The ban means he will not be able to make his
Barcelona debut until the end of October. He will
also miss next year's Copa America in Chile, when
Uruguay have their next competitive matches.
Uruguay will play a minimum of three and maximum
of six matches at the Copa, meaning Suarez will also
miss between two and five matches of the 2018
World Cup qualifying campaign.
The forward could make his Barca debut at Real
Madrid in El Clasico with the match scheduled for the
weekend of October 25-26. However, Suarez would
only be able to play if the game went ahead on the
26th, the day after his suspension ends.
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