27 Apr 2013

Suarez accepts 10-match ban

6:39 am on 27 April 2013

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has accepted his 10-match ban for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic during last weekend's Premier League football match and the controversial Uruguayan international has asked for forgiveness

Suarez accepted a charge of violent conduct after biting Ivanovic on the arm during Monday's 2-2 draw at Anfield - an incident missed by the match referee.

Suarez says he did not appeal the ban because he did not want to give "the wrong impression" about his unacceptable behaviour, and he said on his Twitter account that he hopes the people he offended will grant him forgiveness, before again repeating his personal apology to Ivanovic.

The Football Association's Independent Regulatory Commission decided that the normal three-game ban for a violent conduct charge was not sufficient, adding a further seven matches to the Uruguayan's suspension, drawing criticism from Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers.

And there was some sympathy from rival managers ahead of the weekend's fixtures, with Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger saying the punishment looks very severe considering what other players have been punished for.

Wenger says he thinks Suarez has been punished so severely because of his history, while Manchester City's Roberto Mancini says five or six games was enough in his opinion.

It is the second time the 26-year-old Suarez has been punished for biting an opponent after he bit PSV Eindhoven's Otman Bakkal on the neck while playing for Ajax in 2010, earning a seven-match ban.

Suarez was also banned for eight games last season after being found guilty by the FA of racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra in October 2011.