Suarez handed 10 game ban

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has been handed a ten match suspension by the Football Association after biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic during the 2-2 draw at Anfield on Sunday.

The Uruguayan was quick to apologise to Ivanovic, and was subsequently fined by the club for his actions.

The FA then charged Suarez with violent conduct, before a regulatory commission met yesterday to decide the length of his suspension.

The Reds top scorer with now miss the remainder of this season, and the first six games of the 2013/2014 campaign, meaning Liverpool could be without their star player until late September, or even October.

The club, who have until midday tomorrow to appeal the decision, have expressed their shock and disappointment at the length of the ban.

However, chief executive Ian Ayre has stated that the club will wait for the written reasons behind the decision before making any further comment.

Liverpool Supporters Club chairman Richard Pedder has said that he believes Suarez “deserves everything he gets”, though those views are not shared by Reds goalkeeper Pepe Reina, who described the punishment as “disproportionate”.

The Spaniard went on to suggest that if Suarez was English his treatment would have been different.