Not so fast Barcelona. That was FIFA's message when it recently reiterated Uruguay football star Luis Suarez's wide-ranging football ban when asked about FC Barcelona's plans to unveil the embattled athlete as his transfer from Liverpool is to be completed in the next few days, the Guardian reported.
The Catalan club reportedly introduced star signings, which include injured Brazilian player Neymar and Cesc Fàbregas in packed venues. It has been suggested that Barcelona, who has agreed to sign in Suarez despite his nine international match and four-month football ban imposed by the world soccer body, would be introducing the Uruguayan in a non-football venue considering the fact that it has shelled out £75 million for him.
Fifa's head of media Delia Fischer shot down reports and 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."
The 27 year-old's camp has since appealed against the ban, which also includes a £66,000 fine. FIFA's appeals committee has since rejected the appeal immediately as expected, which led to reports that Suarez would resort to file an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in order to play and perform his duties until a decision from such court has been handed out.
Alejandro Balbi, Suarez's lawyer, has since dubbed the punishment on Friday to Spanish radio station Cope as "blatantly draconian, totalitarian and fascist," and added, "The right of a footballer to work is being violated, and football should be worried about that. The nine [international] games may seem excessive, but the fact that he can't watch a game of football, or train or carry out his job, we are talking about unpleasant things."
FIFA, on the other hand believed that it was important for Suarez to understand the error of his ways, as his biting of Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini on the shoulder during a match was his third time in less than four years and has yet to show remorse for the incident.
