The 18-page document also confirms the 2006 case of then-Manchester City defender Ben Thatche rwas not used as a precedent when considering the Liverpool star’s suspension

The Football Association has released the written reasons that led to the 10-game suspension of Liverpool striker Luis Suarez following his bite on Branislav Ivanovic.

An Independent Regulatory Commission, appointed by the FA, cites Suarez’s failure to appreciate the severity of the incident as one of the main thrusts behind the ban.

The 18-page document read: “It seemed to us that Mr Suarez has not fully appreciated the gravity and seriousness of this truly exceptional incident.

“The nature of biting an opponent is in itself extremely shocking, unexpected and truly exceptional. The incidents of biting an opponent in football are very rare at the moment and we need to ensure that it will remain so.

“We also felt that the purpose of our decision should not only be a punishment to Mr Suarez for the offence committed but must also be sending a strong message that such deplorable behaviours do not have a place in football.”

The commission also confirmed that previous instances of violent conduct cited in Suarez’s statement were not considered as this was an exceptional incident.

“We wished to note that the case of Ben Thatcher, of Manchester City, who was charged with serious foul play in 2006 against Pedro Mendes, of Portsmouth, as cited by Mr Suarez is dissimilar to the violent conduct offence we were dealing with for Mr Suarez,” it added, “and, therefore, did not take it into consideration.”

Past examples, it was stressed, were not taken into account when deciding the length of the ban. “We were also aware that the rules, regulations and practices have evolved and any temptations to refer to historical cases and sanctions would be wrong,” noted the report.