Luis Suarez of FC Barcelona during the Joan Gamper Trophy match between FC Barcelona and Leon F.C. at Camp Nou on august 18, 2014 in Barcelona, Spain(Photo by VI Images via Getty Images)
Spain (AP) — Barcelona striker Luis Suarez was suspended Friday for two Copa del Rey matches for insulting rival players.
One of football’s most divisive figures, Luis Alberto Suarez Díaz born Jan 24, 1987, is an extremely gifted player who is famous by an inability to stay out of trouble. His talent has never been in question but controversy never seems to be far from him, making it all the more surprising that Barcelona put forth a £75 million bet by taking him in from Liverpool in the summer of 2014, a bet that now is perhaps put into question.
The referee’s report for the fierce match at Camp Nou, which ended 4-1 for Barcelona on Wednesday, said that Suarez insulted Espanyol players in the tunnel after the match.
Referee Juan Martinez Munuera’s report states that Suarez told Espanyol’s players: “I am waiting for you, come here. You are trash.”
Suarez was given a yellow card during the match, and televised images showed him provoking Espanyol goalkeeper Pau Lopez after Lionel Messi scored a free kick just before halftime to make it 2-1.
The ban will rule the Suarez out of the return leg set for next week at Espanyol’s stadium and possibly the first leg of the quarterfinals.
This is Suarez’s first suspension since his four-month ban for biting an Italian player at the 2014 World Cup. The former Liverpool striker had already earned multi-match bans on two previous occasions for biting opponents and another for racial abuse.
Barcelona said in a statement it has appealed the ruling, denying Suarez insulted his opponents with the language recorded by the referee in his report.
However, Suarez helped Barcelona win a rare treble of the Champions League, Spanish league and Copa del Rey last season. He also scored five goals in two matches to lead it to the Club World Cup title in December.