RIO DE JANEIRO: Luis Suarez is still living in hope of being able to start his new career with Barcelona earlier than had at one stage seemed likely writes KEIR RADNEDGE.

While Liverpool and the Catalan club haggle over the terms of the 27-year-old striker’s transfer from Anfield to Camp Nou so the Uruguayan football federation had lodged its formal appeal with FIFA against Suarez’s double suspension.

Suarez was suspended from all football for four months and from Uruguay’s next nine competitive matches after the world federatoh’s disciplinary committee ruled that he had bitten Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini in a World Cup Group D tie last month.

The incident, beyond the sight of Mexican referee Marco Rodriguez, occurred shortly before Uruguay scored the decisive goal in their 1-0. Victory took them, and not Italy, into the second round but – without the banned Suarez – they were eliminated after losing 2-0 to Colombia in Maracana.

The UAF had three days to lodge notice of appeal and a further to register its submission.

A FIFA spokesman said: “We can confirm that the Uruguay FA notified FIFA of their intention to appeal the decision of the FIFA disciplinary committee and submitted the reasons for appeal within the deadlines (cf. art. 120 of the FIFA disciplinary code).”

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