Liverpool striker Luis Suarez was handed a 10-game ban on this day in 2013 after he bit Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic.
The Uruguay international, who had been suspended for seven games for a similar attack on PSV Eindhoven’s Otman Bakkal during his time at Ajax, found himself under the spotlight once again during the Reds’ 2-2 Premier League draw with the Londoners at Anfield on April 21.
Suarez clashed with defender Ivanovic inside the penalty area before sinking his teeth into the Serbia international’s upper arm, out of the view of referee Kevin Friend but not the television cameras which repeatedly highlighted the offence, before going on to score a stoppage-time equaliser.
I'm sad for what happened this afternoon, I apologize Ivanovic and all football world for my inexcusable behaviour. I'm so sorry about it!!— Luis Suarez (@LuisSuarez9) April 21, 2013
The frontman later apologised in a post on his Twitter account which said: “I’m sad for what happened this afternoon, I apologize Ivanovic and all football world for my inexcusable behaviour. I’m so sorry about it!!”
His apology and admission of a violent conduct charge, however, cut little ice and two days later an independent regulatory commission, much to his club’s dismay, upheld a Football Association claim that a statutory three-game ban was not sufficient punishment for the offence and he was suspended for 10 matches.
Then manager Brendan Rodgers said at the time: “We had been given clear indications by the FA that there was going to be an independent – or so-called independent – case put together and then we would receive what that sanction would be.
“If you are an independent panel and yet the day beforehand the FA come out and say (Suarez) will serve more than three games, it is not independent because they are already putting pressure on the sanction.
“There is a prejudice there straight away.”
Liverpool insisted the player, who had been given an eight-game ban and fined £40,000 for racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra in December 2011, would not be sold amid an outcry over his behaviour.
Suarez did not play for the club again until September 25, returning in a 1-0 Capital One Cup defeat at Manchester United, and left in a £75million move to Barcelona during the following summer after the Reds slipped up in the Premier League title race.
However, his debut for the Catalan giants was delayed significantly after he was suspended from all football-related activity for four months, banned for nine international matches and fined almost £66,000 for another biting incident – this time sinking his teeth into Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup finals.
