Controls eased but Suarez fails to reduce ban

Barcelona striker Luis Suarez has failed in his appeal to have a four-month ban completely overturned but a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) means he can now feature in friendlies for club and country.

The Uruguay international was suspended from all football-related activity for biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup, with the punishment also including a nine-match international suspension and a fine.

Suarez, the Uruguay Football Association and Barcelona — who spent £75 million to sign the striker from Liverpool, after he was sent home from Brazil in disgrace — appealed to CAS over the severity of the punishment and a number of restrictions have now been lifted.

He will not be able to play a competitive game until the Clasico against arch-rivals Real Madrid on October 26 but he will be able to train and feature in friendlies.

The CAS ruling stating the player’s ban only applied to “official” matches was soon followed by confirmation that the 27-year-old is now eligible to play in friendlies.

Barcelona’s priority was to have Suarez available to work with the team, important in pre-season but essential when he is a new player, and CAS have relented on that issue.

As a result, he can now begin his new career immediately with the Catalans.

It remains to be seen whether Suarez will play any part in Barca’s last scheduled pre-season friendly on Monday but it seems likely the club will organise other matches to help get the player up to speed while he sits out eight league matches and three Champions League games.

CAS felt Suarez’s ban broadly fitted the crime but believed extending it beyond the pitch was excessive.

“The CAS panel has partially upheld the appeal. The sanctions imposed on the player by Fifa have been generally confirmed,” said a statement.

“However, the four-month suspension will apply to official matches only and no longer to other football-related activities (such as training, promotional activities and administrative matters).

“The CAS panel found that the sanctions imposed on the player were generally proportionate to the offence committed.

“It has however considered that the stadium ban and the ban from ‘any football-related activity’ were excessive, given that such measures are not appropriate to sanction the offence committed by the player and would still have an impact on his activity after the end of the suspension.”

Meanwhile, Charlie Mulgrew believes Celtic have to shrug off any embarrassment surrounding their European reprieve to make the most of their second chance at Champions League football.

Mulgrew was speaking on the day Legia Warsaw ’s appeal against Uefa’s decision to exclude them from the competition for fielding a suspended player had been rejected. The Polish club were found to have fielded an ineligible player, Bartosz Bereszynski, in the second leg of their third qualifying round clash against the Scottish champions, which they won 2-0 to follow a 4-1 first-leg success.

Ronny Deila’s side were duly awarded a default 3-0 win and progressed on away goals and will meet Maribor in the first leg of their play-off in Slovenia next week.

Mulgrew insists the Scottish champions have to concentrate on taking advantage of their good fortune, rather than feeling too sheepish at the way in which they were reinstated.

“We are grateful to get another chance,” he said. “It was disappointing how the two games (against Legia) went but rules are rules and we are happy to be back involved.

“Maybe there is a wee bit (of embarrassment) but what can you do?”