Fifa’s Valcke says biter Suarez needs to seek treatment

Fifa chief Jerome Valcke has claimed Liverpool are not being punished by the four-month worldwide ban imposed on Luis Suarez for biting and told the striker to seek treatment for his behaviour.

Suarez’s ban for biting an opponent while playing at the World Cup for Uruguay means he would miss 13 matches for Liverpool between the start of the season and the end of October. He is also banned for nine international games and has been fined €82,000.

Suarez’s lawyer has described the sanctions as “grotesque and absurd” and that “all that was missing was life imprisonment”.

Valcke, Fifa’s secretary general, told a news conference in Rio that the ban reflected the “unacceptable” behaviour on the world stage and that the 27-year-old should “seek treatment” as it was his third biting offence. Liverpool are taking legal advice over the case but Valcke claimed the worldwide ban was correct.

He said: “It’s not Liverpool who is punished. It’s the player who is punished.

“What happened with Suarez was far beyond the fair play and the attitude you should have when you play at the World Cup.

“When you are with the 32 teams among 23 players in each team you have to show the best of the best as they are the example for the rest of the world.

“I applaud the decision which was made by the committee to sanction the player in this way because what he did is unacceptable and not the image we want to give to the world.”

He added: “I think he should find a way to stop doing it. He should go through a treatment and find something, it is definitely wrong.

“It is more than one incident that’s why it is has to be exemplary.”

Suarez’s victim, Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini, has said the punishment was “excessive”, but Valcke insisted it was proportionate.

He said: “You will always find someone who will say it is excessive — so what? They are decisions made by the disciplinary committee based on what has been seen by hundreds of millions of people. It is not what you want your kids, the little ones playing football around the world to see at the World Cup. That’s not what you do at any level of football or in life.”

An appeal is being lodged against the decision and Suarez’s lawyer Alejandro Balbi said they would take the case all the way to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and that he remained in constant contact with Liverpool.

“The ban is absolutely disproportionate considering what Luis did.

“Julio Grondona, vice-president of Fifa, told me that he had never seen such a serious ban handed to a player. This is so grotesque and absurd that the CAS will have to revoke this unjust ruling.

“Unjust not just due to the number of games given, which is already incredible, illogical and arbitrary, but also the issue of not being able to be allowed to have any relationship with football in 120 days, and then there’s the fine. All that was missing was life imprisonment.

“We are in constant contact with Liverpool and we are ready to fight until the end.”

Betting website 888poker announced on Thursday that it had ended its arrangement with Suarez following the incident, a decision Balbi described as “madness”.

Chiellini has expressed his sympathy for Suarez, and said in a statement on his website the punishment was “excessive” adding: “At the moment my only thought is for Luis and his family, because they will face a very difficult time.”

Liverpool are working their way through the legal minefield of the four-month ban but are still a long way from even considering launching a challenge to Fifa.

Meanwhile, sportswear giant Adidas has replaced a Copacabana advert featuring Suarez.

Fans queued on the Rio de Janeiro beach to get a photo taken next to an Adidas poster of a snarling Suarez where they pretended to be bitten by him, but now the image has been replaced by one of Brazil right-back Dani Alves.

An Adidas spokesperson said: “Adidas has decided to review all marketing activity involving Luis Suarez.

“Some changes on the ground in Brazil have been made in line with this review, with certain artwork being swapped out today.”

Suarez’s boot deal with the company could be in jeopardy after the sportswear manufacturer announced that it would consider its partnership with the 27-year-old, who has returned to Uruguay.

A statement on 888poker.com read: “888poker signed Luis Suarez following a fantastic season for which his achievements were widely recognised. Regrettably, following his actions during Uruguay’s World Cup match against Italy on Tuesday, 888poker has decided to terminate its relationship with Luis Suarez with immediate effect.”