World Cup: FIFA to consider longer ban for Suarez

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Luis Suarez’s intentional handball to save a goal could earn him more than a one-game suspension.

FIFA will study reports from the Uruguay-Ghana World Cup quarterfinal before deciding how long to suspend Suarez. The Uruguay striker could be suspended for the World Cup final should Uruguay beat the Netherlands in their semifinal Tuesday -- a match Suarez must sit out for a mandatory ban.

Should Uruguay lose to the Dutch, it will play in the third-place game, and Suarez also could be suspended for that match next Saturday.

FIFA rules call for suspensions of ‘at least one match’ if the panel finds a player guilty of unsportsmanlike conduct toward an opponent.

Suarez swatted away a header by Ghana’s Dominic Adiyiah at the very end of extra time with the score 1-1. Ghana’s Asamoah Gyan missed the penalty with the final kick of the match, hitting the crossbar, as Suarez looked on from the entrance to the players’ tunnel.

Uruguay won the ensuing shootout 4-2.

Suarez, who has three goals in the tournament, said it was ‘complicated’ to be sent off at a World Cup.

‘But the way in which I was sent off -- truth is, it was worth it,’ Suarez told reporters.

Coach Oscar Tabarez said Suarez should be allowed to play in the World Cup final if Uruguay gets there.

The handball has also ignited a debate about fair play, but Tabarez defended the Ajax striker.

‘Cheating is too strong a word,’ said Tabarez, who added that he though Suarez acted ‘instinctively’ to bat down the ball. Teammate Diego Forlan agreed.

Defender Jorge Fucile received his second yellow card against Ghana and is also suspended for the semifinal.

-- Kevin Baxter in Johannesburg, South Africa