Ban leaves Suarez to consider his future Luis Suarez: At a crossroad. Liverpool striker Luis Suarez is considering his future in English football after being left distraught by a 10-game suspension for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic. Suarez is deeply upset over the ban issued by an independent regulatory commission on behalf of the Football Association. Liverpool now face a decisive few weeks where they must try to convince Suarez not to quit Anfield. However, even if he did move abroad to play, the FA would still seek to have his ban applied. He will not only miss the final four games of this season, but the next six of the 2013-14 campaign. Confirming the ban, an FA statement said: "Luis Suarez has been suspended for a total of 10 matches after an Independent Regulatory Commission ... ruled on a charge of violent conduct. A three-person independent regulatory commission upheld the FA's claim that a suspension of three matches was clearly insufficient and the player will serve a further seven first-team matches in addition to the standard three. The suspension begins with immediate effect. The Liverpool forward had accepted a charge of violent conduct but had denied the FA's claim that the standard three-match sanction was insufficient for the offence. The incident was not seen by the match officials and has therefore been retrospectively reviewed. Suarez has until midday on Friday 26 April to appeal the additional suspension, above the standard three matches. Liverpool responded to express their concerns about the verdict. Managing director Ian Ayre said: "Both the club and player are shocked and disappointed at the severity of the independent regulatory commission decision. We await the written reasons. Liverpool knew Suarez was likely to face more than the standard three games but had hoped the FA would prioritise rehabilitation of the player. They cited previous incidents where players were involved in arguably much more dangerous conduct but escaped censure or suspension. The case involving Jermain Defoe and Javier Mascherano in 2006 has become a particular source of contention, leaving Liverpool perplexed as to how the Tottenham Hotspur player escaped with just a yellow card for biting an opponent during a Premier League fixture. Although the FA says the disciplinary procedures have since changed, Liverpool cannot understand how the change in approach between now and then is considered fair. Liverpool believe there have been successful moves to make an example of Suarez based for the large part on his identity. His past is almost certainly a factor.