Luis Suarez Out of the World Cup With 9 Match Ban and 4 Month Exclusion From "All Football Activity

Uruguay and Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has been banned for nine official international matches and "from any football related activity" for four months after biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini.
This is, astonishingly, the third time that the Uruguayan has been banned for biting another player, following his seven game ban while playing for Ajax and his ten game ban just over a year ago for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic.

The news came at a FIFA media briefing this afternoon, as Fifa media relations manager Delia Fischer read a statement: "The player Luis Suarez is suspended for nine matches and banned for four months from any football related activity.

"The Fifa disciplinary committee has decided the player is regarded as having breached article 48 paragraph one and article 57. The player is to be suspended for nine matches, the first is the upcoming match between Uruguay and Colombia on Saturday."

Suarez had claimed innocence, saying: ''These situations arise on the pitch, I've collided with his shoulder. It drove me a little crazy too, but these things happen on the pitch. There's no need to make a story out of it.''

His Uruguay captain Diego Lugano denied that Suarez even did anything wrong, claiming television replays "don't show anything" and are "nothing important".