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.

Both managing director Ian Ayre and boss Brendan Rodgers again express frustration over the 10-game suspension but back the forward’s decision not to appeal against it

Liverpool have released an official statement regarding Luis Suarez’s decision not to appeal his 10-game ban for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic.

Though remaining “disappointed” at the perceived extreme nature of the suspension, the club accept their forward’s choice, which he explained in a personal statement on Twitter.

Managing director Ian Ayre said: “The charges against Luis were his to consider and we have to respect his decision to not appeal the 10-game ban.

“We are all disappointed at the severity of the punishment and in particular the differing standards that have been applied across various previous incidents.

“Luis is an important member of our team and nothing has changed in that regard.

“We are committed to helping him improve his conduct and he will be given our full support. We look forward to him returning to the team next season when he is available for selection.”

Brendan Rodgers, who spoke out against the severity of the ban on Thursday, added: “We can’t hide our disappointment at the outcome of this situation but we have to move on and support Luis in his decision.

“Luis has made a huge contribution to the squad this season and we respect his decision to accept the ban.

“He will be missed for the remainder of this season and the early part of next, but we will have the opportunity to welcome a better person and player when he returns.”

The Liverpool forward has released a statement on Twitter detailing why he will not challenge the punishment handed to him for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has released a statement detailing his reasons for choosing not to appeal his 10-game ban for biting Branislav Ivanovic.

The Uruguay international was handed a 10-match suspension by the Football Association for biting Chelsea defender Ivanovic during Sunday’s 2-2 draw with the Blues at Anfield.

And after confirming he would not appeal the decision on Friday, Suarez has announced that he is “truly sorry” for actions he admits are “not acceptable on the football pitch”.

“I am truly sorry about the incident with Branislav Ivanovic,” Suarez wrote in a statement on his personal Twitter account. “I hope that all the people who I have offended at Anfield last Sunday will grant me forgiveness and I again repeat my personal apology to Branislav.

“I know that all the things that are happening to me in England will help me to improve my conduct on the field. Right now, I just want to focus on becoming a better footballer.

“I would like to explain to everybody that I decided to accept the ban because whilst 10 games is clearly greater than those bans given in past cases where players have actually been seriously injured, I acknowledge that my actions were not acceptable on the football pitch so I do not want to give the wrong impression to people by making an appeal.

“I really want to learn from what has happened in the last 2.5 years, many things have been said and written about me, I just tried to do my best on the field. I hope to come back early to play.”