Liverpool striker Luis Suarez was given a 10-match suspension by the Football Association (FA) following his bite on Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic at the weekend.

Suarez accepted a charge of violent conduct after the incident in the 2-2 Premier League draw at Anfield on Sunday (local time) but disputed the FA view that it merited more than a three-match ban.

An Independent Regulatory Commission met in London to decide the Uruguayan international’s fate and added seven matches to the usual ban for violent conduct.

The suspension begins immediately, meaning Liverpool’s leading scorer will miss his side’s last four matches of the season and the first six at the beginning of next term.

Liverpool, who expressed its shock at the Commission’s decision, has until Friday to appeal.

“Both the club and player are shocked and disappointed at the severity of today’s Independent Regulatory Commission decision,” Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre said in a statement.

Suarez’s bite on Ivanovic’s arm at Anfield was missed by referee Kevin Friend but television replays showed him sinking his teeth into the Serbian.

The 26-year-old Suarez, who was banned for biting an opponent while with Dutch club Ajax before joining Liverpool in 2011, apologised for the bite after the match and was fined a reported 200,000 pounds by the club.

But he was widely condemned for his behaviour with some media suggesting he was in danger of being sacked by the club.

The FA claims a three-match ban is “clearly insufficient” for the serious nature of the offence.

Controversy has followed Suarez since he joined Liverpool, with his antics often overshadowing his impact on the pitch.

He served an eight-match ban for racially abusing Manchester United’s Patrice Evra last season and later angered United manager Alex Ferguson by failing to shake the French defender’s hand before their league match in February last year.

He has also been regularly accused of diving to win penalties and free kicks, while in an FA Cup tie this season against minor league Mansfield Town he was again criticised for scoring a goal despite a blatant handball.

Until Manchester United forward Robin Van Persie’s hat-trick against Aston Villa on Monday that secured the title, Suarez was leading scorer in the league with 23 goals – a record that saw him included on a six-player list for PFA Player of the Year.

Source: Reuters.