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FIFPro show support for Suarez as striker appears before Court of Arbitration for Sport

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FIFPro, the representative organisation for professional footballers, has denounced the four-month ban from all footballing activity handed to Luis Suarez by Fifa.
 
The Barcelona forward was in Switzerland today to make an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the ban he was given the suspension for biting Italian Giorgio Chiellini while playing for Uruguay at the World Cup.
 
While FIFPro conceded that some form of punishment to Luis Suarez was required, they have questioned whether the severity of Fifa's punishment is the best way to deal with the case.
 
After Fifa found Suarez guilty of biting Chiellini during Uruguay’s 1-0 win over Italy on June 24, the former Liverpool striker received a ban from all football-related activity for four months, a nine-match suspension from international fixtures and a £66,000 fine.
 
Suarez is currently unavailable for his new club Barcelona until October 25, however Suarez’s legal team believe the ban will be halved and the Uruguayan will be free to face Villarreal on August 31.
 
The first day of Suarez’s appeal has now ended after a five-hour hearing, but the CAS say it could take several days to reach a verdict.
 
A FIFPro statement said:
 
That Luis Suarez has been trialed and vilified in public, ever since the incident, is a sanction in itself. On the other hand, it has been remarkable to see the response from his fellow professionals and the victim himself, Giorgio Chiellini. Many agree the sanctions are excessive. This is an important signal for the CAS panel to consider.
 
The sanctions are a disproportionate response to the offence. Especially the four-month ban from all football-related activity, which is unfair for Suarez as it infringes his right to work at club level.
 
In the international arena, where the offence was committed, a nine-match ban for Uruguay is also too strong as it effectively equates to a two-year sanction.
 
Many commentators, including Kenny Dalglish and Roberto Martinez, have argued that Suarez needs professional help in order to curb his erratic behaviour.
 
Part of the reason for Suarez’s hefty punishment is that he has twice previously bitten opponents – Branislav Ivanovic while playing for Chelsea and Otman Bakkal while playing for Ajax. 
 
FIFPro believe that Suarez’s potential need for treatment should be taken into account and suggest a conditional punishment as an alternative to the sanctions currently in place.
 
FIFPro said:
 
The educative nature of the sanction mentioned by FIFA in the ruling can be much better achieved by making it partially conditional, including the obligation for Luis Suarez to receive treatment.
 
This can be applied on the number of matches but also on the period of the ban. The FIFA appeals committee missed an opportunity to take this into account. FIFPro expects that CAS will respect these assumptions.