Luis Suarez four-month playing ban upheld but allowed to train with Barcelona

Luis Suarez's four-month playing ban has been upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but the striker has been cleared to begin training with Barcelona.

The Uruguay international was handed the lengthy punishment by FIFA for biting Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup.

Suarez, who joined Barcelona earlier this summer for a fee in the region of £75m, had initially been banned from all football activity, but will now be allowed to train with his new teammates.

The former Liverpool player's legal team released the following statement: "Luis Suarez has successfully appealed to Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne against FIFA's decision to ban him from all football-related activity for four months for biting Italy's Giorgio Chiellini during the World Cup.

"The player remains ineligible to play in official matches during that period, and his nine-match international ban remains in place, but Suarez's legal team of Irish barrister David Casserly, Brazilian lawyer Daniel Cravo and Spanish firm Pinto Ruiz y Del Valle, successfully argued that FIFA had misapplied its own rules when considering the case and the sanction it imposed was disproportionate.

"As a result, Suarez is now permitted to train and attend matches with his Barcelona teammates in preparation for the new season."

The 27-year-old will miss three Champions League group-stage matches and nine La Liga games, although he is now expected to be available to feature in Uruguay's friendly meetings against Japan, South Korea and Saudi Arabia over the next two months.