Banned Suarez up for award
Footballer Luis Suarez, who received a 10-match ban for biting Branislav Ivanovic at Chelsea last week, is nominated for the Players Football Association (PFA) Player of the Year.
Suarez ban 'significantly higher' than Brighton player
The FA said it compared the Suarez incident to two cases which may have required bans longer than three games.
- January 2013: Chelsea's Eden Hazard kicking a ball boy (did not require longer ban)
- March 2013: Brighton's Ashley Barnes tripping a referee (required six-match suspension)
It said it could not compare the incident to a 2006 incident involving Manchester City's Ben Thatcher and Portsmouth's Pedro Mendes because the latter was "serious foul play" while Suarez's bite constituted "violent conduct."
As a result, the FA said, the length of Suarez's ban had to be proportional to the six-game ban given to Brighton's Ashley Barnes:
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FA sending 'strong message' over 'disgraceful' Suarez
Luis Suarez failed to "fully appreciate the gravity and seriousness" of his bite on Branislav Ivanovic, an FA report concluded.
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Judgement day for Luis Suarez 'in a flawed FA procedure'
The FA says it intends to punish Suarez more than the usual three games. Well why is it? He didn't hurt anyone. Ivanovic is not in plaster.
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Suarez and the weakness behind Liverpool's bravado
Liverpool had a real chance to steal the moral high ground. Among fans I heard irritation that Suarez had stained the club’s name again.