According to a report in MARCA, the Court of Arbitration for Sport may be receptive to reducing the punishment received by Luis Suárez when he bit Giorgio Chiellini during Uruguay’s World Cup match with Italy.
The punishment handed down by FIFA prevents Suárez from playing in the next nine games for Uruguay, and sees him banned from soccer for the next four months. The forward is also prevented from training and is prohibited from attending all football-related events -- a prohibition which meant Barcelona could not introduce him at a crowded Camp Nou when he completed his transfer from Liverpool.
A CAS judgment will be handed down in the next three weeks, but there is already speculation that Suárez will see his punishment lessened. Sources say he is likely to be cleared to train with Barça, as well as take part in football-related events, meaning they may be able to properly present the Uruguayan. What’s likely to stick, however, is the nine-match ban from international games.
It’s the four-month ban that seems most up in the air. Apparently, there are those at the CAS who wonder if, because the incident occurred while Suárez was on international duty, should Barcelona be punished for it? That sort of thinking could lead to a reduced ban, and Suárez could be playing his first La Liga match sooner than most believed possible.
Yet for those of us who are not Barcelona fans, this line of thinking seems questionable at best. Barcelona were well aware of Suárez’s ban when they brought him on board, and it was likely the reason the deal with Liverpool came to such a rapid conclusion. Perhaps if Barcelona had bought the forward prior to the World Cup, this thinking would make sense.
Finally, the punishment is meant to hurt Suárez. This is a man that’s bitten an opponent on three separate occasions. If he’s ever to learn his lesson (biting people = not acceptable), it’s tough to see it happening if the CAS hands down a reduced ban.