PHOTOS: Fans give banned Suarez hero's welcome

About 500 fans gathered outside Montevideo's Carrasco international airport to express solidarity with Uruguay's Luis Suarez and chant his name. Some had been waiting for hours, waving Uruguay flags, posters of Suarez and replicas of the World Cup trophy.

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Airport authorities said, however, that he was to be whisked out privately and to his home in the coastal resort of Solymar, about 40 kilometres outside Montevideo.

Suarez has been suspended for nine matches and banned for four months from any football-related activity for biting an opponent during the World Cup match against Italy.

He was also fined 100,000 Swiss francs (65,255.81 pounds).

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The 27-year-old Suarez, voted England's Footballer of the Year after scoring 31 league goals for Liverpool last season, has now been involved in three incidents of biting opponents.

Suarez, though, denied biting.

"Those are situations that happen on the pitch. We were both just there inside the area. He shoved me with his shoulder, and my eye got left like that also," he said on Tuesday, in reference to Chiellini's marks.

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Suarez will miss Uruguay's last-16 match against Colombia in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday and will play no further part in the tournament in Brazil if they progress.

He missed the first match of the tournament due to injury but returned to score twice in Uruguay's 2-1 win over England.

Suarez will not be able to train or attend matches with his English club Liverpool until late October, meaning he will miss at least nine Premier League games and the start of their Champions League campaign.