Quote of the Day
“As a footballer I feel with him that such a punishment… it hurts, it hurts.”
“But as FIFA president I have to accept the decisions that are taken by our independent committees.
“I do hope that this player will come back to football because on the pitch what he has shown so far… I have seen his capacity technically and tactically to do what he can do – his smelling of the goal.
“I do hope he will be back, he is now in one of the greatest clubs in the world.”
Supporters of the Anfield club will no doubt be keen to remind Blatter of Liverpool’s 5 European Cup wins – that’s one more than Suarez’s new club Barcelona.
Blatter was speaking after Barcelona were denied permission to publicly unveil Suarez to mark his move to Camp Nou.
The Uruguayan is serving a four-month ban from, which covers all football-related activities.
FIFA’s head of media Delia Fischer said: “The ban relates to all football-related activity. He cannot be in a football-related public event irrespective of the venue.
“He cannot even be involved in a football-related charity event.”
Suarez’s lawyer, Alejandro Balbi, claimed last week claimed the punishment was “blatantly draconian, totalitarian and fascist”.
He has been strangely quiet about his client’s proclivity to bite opponents. That’s the third such attack in less than three years. Draconian it may seem, but Suarez left FIFA with little choice.
