Suarez bite 'truly
disgraceful', says
Independent Regulatory
Commission report
The 18-page document also confirms
the 2006 case of then-Manchester
City defender Ben Thatche rwas not
used as a precedent when
considering the Liverpool star's suspension.
The Football
Association has
released the written
reasons that led to
the 10-game
suspension of
Liverpool striker Luis Suarez following
his bite on Branislav Ivanovic.
An Independent Regulatory
Commission, appointed by the FA, cites
Suarez's failure to appreciate the
severity of the incident as one of the
main thrusts behind the ban.
The 18-page document read: "It
seemed to us that Mr Suarez has not
fully appreciated the gravity and
seriousness of this truly exceptional
incident.
"The nature of biting an opponent is in
itself extremely shocking, unexpected
and truly exceptional. The incidents of
biting an opponent in football are very
rare at the moment and we need to
ensure that it will remain so.
"We also felt that the purpose of our
decision should not only be a
punishment to Mr Suarez for the
offence committed but must also be
sending a strong message that such
deplorable behaviours do not have a
place in football."
The commission also confirmed that
previous instances of violent conduct
cited in Suarez's statement were not
considered as this was an exceptional
incident.
"We wished to note that the case of
Ben Thatcher, of Manchester City, who
was charged with serious foul play in
2006 against Pedro Mendes, of
Portsmouth, as cited by Mr Suarez is
dissimilar to the violent conduct offence
we were dealing with for Mr Suarez," it
added, "and, therefore, did not take it
into consideration."
Past examples, it was stressed, were
not taken into account when deciding
the length of the ban. "We were also
aware that the rules, regulations and
practices have evolved and any
temptations to refer to historical cases
and sanctions would be wrong," noted
the report.
