Professional Footballers’ Association chief executive Gordon Taylor believes Luis Suarez has taken a “massive backward step.”

The Uruguay striker was yesterday handed a nine-match suspension and a ban from playing for any team for four months for biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini during Tuesday’s Group D match.

It will keep him out for at least 12 club games for Liverpool including nine Premier League games, before a return at the end of October.

Uruguay’s FA said they will lodge an appeal, but he will remained suspended during that process and is certainly out of the World Cup.

Taylor also feels the sanction handed down by FIFA yesterday should have included a counselling and treatment course for the Liverpool striker to help him with “a trait he has to get rid of”.

It is the third time Suarez has been punished for biting opponents, having been banned for seven matches while playing for Ajax in 2010 and ten matches when at Liverpool last year “We felt things had got back on track (following his ban with Liverpool), it was up there for everybody to see, but of course this is a massive backward step on the world stage,” said Taylor.

“I feel FIFA should have led the way with regard to trying to make sure that this behaviour is just eradicated and insist on there being some serious counselling and treatment for Luis Suarez because there’s no doubt he’s one of the finest players in the world – but this is a trait he has to get rid of.

“It’s just not good for him, for any of his club, his country or the game in general.”

Liverpool will spend the next few days digesting the implications of Suarez’s ban.

In a short statement chief executive Ian Ayre said: “Liverpool Football Club will wait until we have seen and had time to review the FIFA Disciplinary Committee report before making any further comment.”

Meanwhile, Sulley Muntari and Kevin-Prince Boateng have been expelled from Ghana’s squad for alleged indiscipline.