LONDON — Liverpool forward Luis Suarez Friday said he did not appeal against a 10-match ban for biting an opponent because he did not want to give “the wrong impression” about his unacceptable behavior. The Football Association (FA) governing body had earlier revealed that the Uruguay striker had not lodged an appeal after he was suspended Wednesday for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic on the arm. The decision means the 26-year-old Uruguay international will miss the final four matches of the English Premier League season, starting with Saturday's match against Newcastle, and the first six of the next campaign. Suarez posted a link on his Twitter account in which he explained his decision, saying that he hoped for a swift return and to learn from the experience to improve his behavior. “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 so I do not want to give the wrong impression to people by making an appeal,” he said. He also restated his apology for his actions, saying he was “truly very sorry” about the incident with Ivanovic in last weekend's match. “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.” British police said they had spoken to Ivanovic but the Serbia defender did not want to press charges. ‘Ronaldo a doubt' Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo is a major doubt for Saturday's derby against Atletico Madrid after leaving training early Friday, according to Spanish press reports. The 28-year-old picked up a thigh problem during Wednesday's crushing 4-1 Champions League semifinal, first leg defeat at Borussia Dortmund and did barely five minutes of jogging Friday before returning to the indoor gym at Real's training complex, several Spanish media said. It means Ronaldo's participation against Atletico Saturday is in doubt, particularly with a second leg against Dortmund to come Tuesday. Real needs to get a result in the derby to maintain its hold on second place in La Liga with its city rival just three points behind in third. Ronaldo, the top scorer in the Champions League this season with 12 goals, had been thought to be certain to start against Dortmund in the Bernabeu but Friday's news has caused some to question that theory. Vilanova stays coach Tito Vilanova is ready to carry on as Barcelona coach after undergoing cancer treatment, he told a press conference Friday. Speaking for the first time since returning from New York where he underwent treatment in January, Vilanova said: “I'm in good shape, I'm full of energy and I want to carry on leading this team next year.” Looking fit and well, Vilanova said defiantly that it was too soon to say that Barcelona was out of the Champions League, despite its 4-0 semifinal first-leg drubbing by Bayern Munich in Germany this week. “After the return leg, I'm ready to accept the criticism but I'm not prepared to throw in the towel yet. We mustn't say we can't do it, even if it is going to be extremely difficult. “We've got to do our best to show that what happened the other night was just an accident.” — Agencies
