体坛英语新闻：Suarez says "painful" for missing Copa America

MONTEVIDEO, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- Uruguayan Luis Suarez Wednesday said being barred from playing in the 2015 Copa America tournament was "very painful."

In June, world football governing body FIFA banned Suarez from all football for four months and suspended him from nine competitive international matches after he bit a rival on the field during a 2014 Brazil World Cup match. It appeared to be at least his third incident.

"The suspension is very painful, but just as I endured the four- month thing, now I have to endure the eight matches that are left and try to support my teammates as much as I can," Suarez told reporters in Montevideo, where he was training with the national team as it prepares for its Thursday friendly against Costa Rica.

The encounter with the Uruguayan press was Suarez' first since the World Cup incident, and reporters were full of questions about the FIFA ruling.

Asked if there any possibility the FIFA would reduce his penalty, which forced Suarez to sit out the rest of the World Cup, the forward declined to get into details, saying only: "If I talk I might say something I'll regret later."

Suarez, who plays for Spanish club Barcelona, did say he was glad to be back home and training with the national team, adding " playing over here with all the people is nice, it's positive, it transmits joy."

About his absence from the list of 23 finalists who vied for FIFA's coveted 2014 Golden Ball trophy, Suarez said, "it looks like they (compiled the names) between last June and the World Cup. "

Uruguay will be heading to next year's Copa America in Chile as the defending champion.