Following the striker’s four-month ban from all football-related activity, the chief executive believes professional help is a must after two previous similar incidents
Gordon Taylor has slammed Fifa for not insisting on some form of counselling as part of Luis Suarez’s four-month ban from football.
The Liverpool striker was prohibited from all football-related activity for four months and banned from Uruguay’s next nine competitive international matches for biting Giorgio Chiellini in their 1-0 win over Italy.
The incident marred Uruguay’s progression into the last 16 and marked the third time in his career that the 27-year-old has been punished for biting.
Suarez received a seven-match ban for biting PSV’s Otman Bakkal in 2010, and was then suspended for 10 games for doing the same to Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic in April 2013.
However, Suarez enjoyed a superb campaign last season, scoring 31 goals as Liverpool narrowly missed out on the Premier League title and winning the Professional Footballers’ Association player of the year award.
PFA chief executive Taylor believed Suarez had turned the corner, but is now adamant the player needs dedicated counselling after taking what he described as “a backwards step”.
“[The PFA] felt things had got back on track [following his ban with Liverpool], it was up there for everybody to see, but of course this is a massive backward step on the world stage,” Taylor told Sky Sports News.
“I feel Fifa should have led the way with regard to trying to make sure that this behaviour is just eradicated and insist on there being some serious counselling and treatment for Luis Suarez because there’s no doubt he’s one of the finest players in the world – but this is a trait he has to get rid of.
“It’s just not good for him, for any of his club, his country or the game in general and I’ve not seen that issue addressed either.
“Of course it’s not good when you’ve got somebody of such talent who spoils that talent by such behaviour and that’s why I believe it needs looking at in a serious way. That treatment course needs to be part of any sanction, I would suggest.”