World Cup: Uruguay striker Luis Suarez banned for four months

(CNN) — Luis Suarez will have plenty of time to ponder his tendency to bite opposition players after the Uruguayan striker was banned for nine international matches and suspended for four months from any football activity by FIFA.

The Liverpool striker, who has bitten players three times in his career – the latest incident coming in a key World Cup game — is also set to miss a large chunk of the English Premier season as he is “banned from any football related activity” by football’s world governing body.

The punishment is the most severe ever handed out at a World Cup for an offense committed on the field of play but the striker does have the right to appeal and is allowed to transfer clubs during the four month period.

FIFA had begun proceedings Wednesday after the striker was accused of biting another player during his team’s World Cup victory over Italy a day earlier and announced its verdict at a news conference Thursday.

“The first match of this suspension is to be served in the upcoming FIFA World Cup fixture between Colombia and Uruguay on 28 June 2014,” said FIFA’s statement, referring to the last-16 game between the South American teams in Rio de Janeiro Saturday.

“The remaining match suspensions shall be served in Uruguay’s next FIFA World Cup match(es), as long as the team qualifies, and/or in the representative team’s subsequent official matches.”

Suarez is also “prohibited from entering the confines of any stadium” during his ban and must pay a fine of 100,000 Swiss Francs — $111,000.