Suarez Banned For 10 Matches By FA After Biting Ivanovic During Match

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has been banned for 10 games by the English Football Association for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic. The 26-year-old later apologised for biting the Chelsea defender and was fined by Liverpool on Monday. The club, who have until Friday at 12:00 BST to appeal, said they were “shocked and disappointed” at the length of the suspension. Uruguay international Suarez had accepted the FA charge of violent conduct but claimed his ban should be three games, the standard punishment for violent conduct. An FA statement read: “A three-person Independent Regulatory Commission today upheld The FA’s claim that a suspension of three matches was clearly insufficient and the player will serve a further seven first-team matches in addition to the standard three. The suspension begins with immediate effect. “The Liverpool forward had accepted a charge of violent conduct but had denied The FA’s claim that the standard three-match sanction was insufficient for the offence. “The incident was not seen by the match officials and has therefore been retrospectively reviewed. “Suarez has until midday on Friday, 26 April to appeal the additional suspension, above the standard three matches.” “There will be shock on two levels. Firstly, from the club, the player and the fans at the severity of the punishment. Secondly, from across football because this is two games more than the ban Suarez received for racially abusing Patrice Evra.” The ban covers their final four games of this season, and the first six games of 2013-14. Suarez was banned for seven matches in 2010 for a similar offence while playing for Ajax against PSV Eindhoven in the Dutch league and eight games in December 2011 for making racist insults toward Manchester United defender Patrice Evra during a match.