FIFA rejected the appeal of Uruguay star Luis Suarez, who sought to reduce the length of his suspension from football. With some calling the length of Suarez's ban for biting an Italy player excessive, it is possible Suarez takes his appeal to arbitration.
Suarez sought to reduce his $112,000 U.S. fine, nine-game suspension and four-month ban from football, which ended his eligibility to play in the 2014 World Cup after biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini in the group stage match.
FIFA, though, stood by their ruling.
"The FIFA Appeal Committee has decided to reject the appeals lodged by both the Uruguayan player Luis Suarez and the Uruguayan FA, and to confirm the decision rendered by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee on 25 June 2014 in its entirety," FIFA said Thursday in a statement. "The terms of the decision taken by the FIFA Appeal Committee were communicated to the player and the Uruguayan FA today."
Suarez's next step is to argue his case before the Court of Arbitration, which FIFA acknowledged remains a possibility.
"The relevant decision is not yet final and binding, i.e. an appeal to the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) is still possible (cf. art. 67 par. 1 of the FIFA Statutes) by the player and/or the Uruguayan FA, subject to certain conditions," FIFA's statement read.
Suarez does plan to appeal to the CAS through his lawyer, according to Mundo Deportivo and ESPN.
In the wake of Suarez's suspension, several members of the international football community came to his defense.
Chiellini forgave Suarez on Twitter and said he hoped FIFA would reduce the ban, and Uruguay FA president Wilmar Valdez said he has seen worse on the pitch.
"I have seen more aggressive incidents recently," Wilmar said, via ESPN. "It is a severe punishment. I don't know exactly why arguments they used, but it is a tough punishment for Suarez."
FIFA likely factored Suarez's previous two biting incidents into their decision to hand him such a lengthy ban.
The Daily Star reported Suarez is also being sued by an Italian union for his bite on Chiellini.
