International court to hear Luis Suarez’s appeal of ban for biting

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has confirmed that it will fast-track Luis Suarez’s appeal of a four-month ban for biting an opponent during a recent World Cup game.

Suarez is scheduled to appear before the international court in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Friday for a closed-door hearing agreed to by FIFA officials.

The Uruguayan striker and his Barcelona pro team are asking that he be allowed to return to practice within a few weeks. His ban from matches will probably go unchanged.

Court officials said in a statement Wednesday that a decision in the case “is likely to be rendered some days after the conclusion of the hearing.”

Suarez bit the shoulder of Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini in late June. FIFA suspended him for nine matches and banned him from all soccer-related activities for four months, forcing him to sit out the rest of the World Cup.

Suarez recently switched to Barcelona from Liverpool in the English Premier League.