Madrid: FC Barcelona have confirmed that new signing Luis Suarez will be able to make his debut in the ‘El Clasico’ against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium Oct 25. However, Barcelona have issued a statement confirming the ban actually ends midnight Oct 24, meaning that if coach Luis Enrique sees fit, Suarez could play. The big doubt now is whether or not the Uruguayan will have the match fitness to go straight into the Barca starting 11 for the most important game of the season or whether Enrique will start with him as a substitute. The Catalan club had appealed against the length of Luis Suarez’s ban in August, but their appeal was rejected. The game took place on June 24 in which Suarez had bitten the Italian player, with FIFA announcing the punishment two days later. That led to reports that the ban would be enforced until Oct. 26, thereby ruling the player out of the first clasico of the season. However, Barca say the subsequent ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which lessened the punishment by allowing Suarez to train and play in friendly games during his timeout, mandated that the ban was to run from the day of the Italy vs. Uruguay game and therefore end on Oct. 24. In July 2014, Suárez moved to Barcelona for a fee reported by the English press in the region of £75 million (€94 million), while Barcelona claim a fee of £65 million (€81 million), making him one of the most expensive players in football. He is widely regarded as one of the best strikers in the world. Suarez’s fans dream of watching him play after the ban might come true.
