Suarez to take case to CAS

Luis Suarez’s lawyer has blasted his client’s four-month ban and will take the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

The Uruguay international was hit with the sanction after biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini on the shoulder at the FIFA World Cup in Brazil last month.

It was the third time Suarez has been found guilty of such an offence in his career, with FIFA suspending him from all football-related activity as well as issuing a nine-match international ban and a fine of CHF 100,000.

An appeal against the ban was rejected by FIFA on Thursday and on Friday – the day that Suarez’s transfer from Liverpool to Barcelona was confirmed – his representative Alejandro Balbi hit out at the punishment that had been handed down.

“[It] is blatantly draconian, totalitarian and fascist,” he told Cope.

“The right of a footballer to work is being violated, and football should be worried about that.

“The nine international games may seem excessive, but the fact that he can’t watch a game of football, or train or carry out his job – we are talking about unpleasant things.

“Justice will take its time but it will come. We knew that FIFA would uphold the ban because they are corporatists.

“We will not stop, we are going to go to CAS and we will keep taking the juridical path that is available to us.”