Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has been banned by the Football Association for one match and fined £20,000 ($31,300) for a gesture made towards Fulham fans in the 1-0 defeat at Craven Cottage earlier this month. Suarez had admitted the latest charge of improper conduct, and Liverpool have also been fined £20,000 for failing to control their players in the same match — a charge related to the dismissal of midfielder Jay Spearing. The ruling, announced on Wednesday by the FA, comes little over a week after Suarez was hit with an eight-game suspension for racially abusing Manchester United’s Patrice Evra during a match in October.
Suarez had denied the racism allegations and the decision angered Liverpool, who promised to stick by the player and issued a statement in support of the Uruguayan. Liverpool admitted the improper conduct charge relating to Spearing’s dismissal, after a number of players remonstrated with referee Keith Friend. However, they did not accept the financial penalty for the offence.