Suarez to Barcelona

Liverpool have reportedly accepted a €63 million offer from Barcelona for star striker Luis Suarez.   

According to Catalan TV station TV3, Barca made the offer Friday morning and after further negotiations, Liverpool have now accepted the deal.    

The news comes after the “Reds” rejected Barca’s initial 55.7 million euro bid this week, and demanded much more in order to do business.    

Barca now expect Suarez to travel to Spain for a medical in the coming days, with a five-year contract being offered.

Liverpool had previously suggested that they wouldn’t sell Suarez for anything less than €75 million, but appear to have altered their position with Suarez making it clear that he did not want to stay at Anfield.        

Suarez, who is currently serving a four-month ban from ‘all footballing activities’, was given the green light this week by FIFA to have a medical with Barca, after earlier suggestions he wouldn’t have been able to so.

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Suarez to Barcelona

Bermuda lawyer set to chair FIFA panel hearing over Suarez appeal

Bermudian lawyer Larry Mussenden (File photo)

HAMILTON, Bermuda, Friday June 27, 2014, CMC – Bermudian lawyer Larry Mussenden could hold the key to the fate of banned Uruguayan footballer Luis Suarez, media here reported.

Mussenden, who is president of the Bermuda Football Association, chairs a FIFA panel that is likely to hear an appeal against a four-month ban imposed on Suarez after a World Cup biting incident.

Mussenden confirmed his role by text from Brazil.

Bermuda football legend Clyde Best said Suarez acted like a “pitbull” and should have been suspended for a year.

Suarez was banned on Thursday for four months worldwide from any footballing activity, banned from international football for nine games and slapped with a fine of US$118,000 for biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini on the shoulder.

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But former West Ham striker Best, 63, said Suarez, leading scorer last season for English Premier League runners-up Liverpool, was fortunate not to get longer.

“He’s pretty lucky if you ask me,” Best told the Bermuda Sun.

“If it had been down to me, it would have been harsher than that.

“He’s done it three times now. The game has no room for that sort of behavior. He did it — there’s no doubt about that. He was like a pitbull, the way he attacked him.

“I’d have given him a year, myself. It’s ridiculous. He’s done it in Holland, in England and now the biggest stage of all, the World Cup. It’s embarrassing for his family and his country.

“I’ve never seen it before, never when I was playing. I have seen plenty of people kick each other but never bite each other.”

The Uruguay FA has said it will appeal the FIFA ruling, which it describes as “excessive”, insisting there was “not enough evidence”.

FIFA procedure states the matter then goes to FIFA’s Appeals Committee, of which Mussenden is chairman. If still unhappy with the verdict, the Uruguay FA can then take its appeal to the Court of Abitration. It’s the biggest ban handed down in World Cup history.

The chairman of FIFA’s disciplinary committee, Claudio Sulser, said: “Such behaviour cannot be tolerated on any football pitch and, in particular, not at the FIFA World Cup, when the eyes of millions of people are on the stars on the field.”

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Bermuda lawyer set to chair FIFA panel hearing over Suarez appeal

Owen surprise at Suarez Arsenal link

Michael Owen thinks Luis Suarez would be making a surprising career move if he left Liverpool to join Arsenal.

Last week, the Reds rejected a Gunners club record bid of £40m plus £1 for the 26-year-old Uruguay forward, who wants to talk to the London club.

Ex-Liverpool striker Owen told BBC’s Sportsweek that joining Real Madrid or Barcelona would make “more sense”.

“Arsenal are a fabulous club and have got a great heritage, but Liverpool are as big – if not bigger,” he said.

30 goals in 44 appearances for Liverpool last season Since joining from Ajax in January 2011 for £22.7m, has scored 51 in 96 appearances 49 goals in 48 games for Ajax the season before joining Liverpool 31 goals in 62 appearances for Uruguay “I’d be very surprised if he were to move to Arsenal. Madrid or Barcelona would make more sense.”

The 33-year-old, who scored 40 goals in 89 appearances for England, added: “I’m struggling to understand why he would leave and stay in England with Liverpool being the stature they are.”

Recently retired Owen said that the Uruguayan would be more likely to enjoy success in European competition at one of the Spanish clubs next season, rather than at the Gunners.

“From Suarez’s point of view you can understand him if he wants to reach the absolute pinnacle of the game – that’s playing in the Champions League. Liverpool obviously are not in that at the moment,” continued Owen, who joined Real Madrid from Liverpool in 2004.

“Truthfully, can you really see Arsenal winning the Champions League next season or going into the later stages? Unless they buy a good few players then I can’t.”

On Wednesday, Suarez made his first appearance for Liverpool since his infamous bite on Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic’s arm last season, coming off the bench in an 18-minute cameo during the Premier League club’s 2-0 win over Melbourne Victory at the MCG.

With Liverpool 1-0 up, Suarez laid on the Reds’ second for new signing Iago Aspas late in the match.

After the game, Rodgers said: “There’s nothing new to report. He [Suarez] is very much a Liverpool player and over the course of the next couple of weeks we’ve got to get him up to speed.”

Suarez joined Liverpool from Ajax in January 2011 in a £22.7m deal. Last season, the South American scored 30 goals in 44 appearances for the Anfield club.

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Owen surprise at Suarez Arsenal link