Uruguay striker Luis Suarez was handed a four month suspension for biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini. The player will be banned from nine international matches, preventing him from appearing for Uruguay in the rest of the 2014 Fifa World Cup matches.

The player will also miss first nine games of the Premier League. Uruguay team spokesman said the move was an excessive decision and was taken without obtaining enough evidence. "It is a severe punishment. I don't know exactly which arguments they used but it is a tough punishment for Suarez."Uruguay Football Association president Wilmar Valdez said.

Suarez was also fined 100,000 Swiss francs (£65,680) for the incident. The Chairman of Fifa's disciplinary committee, Claudio Sulser, said that the incident was intolerable. "Such behaviour cannot be tolerated on any football pitch and, in particular, not at a Fifa World Cup when the eyes of millions of people are on the stars on the field," Sulser said.

Suarez was earlier banned for 10 games for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic during a Premier League match. Mexican refree Marco Rodriquez said he has not seen Suarez bite Chiellini. But Fifa ordered a separate inquiry following the match.

Suarez dismissed the allegation on the Uruguayan national TV and said that the Chiellini bumped into his shoulder. The ban will prevent Suarez from training with Liverpool. But Liverpool will have the rights to sell the player this summer if they wish to do so.