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Suarez's controversial career

Luis Suarez should be "helped" rather than "hounded" in the wake of the recent biting incident, says his Liverpool team-mate Jamie Carragher.

The 26-year-old accepted a violent conduct charge for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic and is due to find out the length of his ban on Wednesday.

Carragher said other players had been backed in the past after misdemeanours.

Writing in the Daily Mail, external-link he said: "Rather than hounding him out of the country, shouldn't we be helping him?"

quote It is as if Luis is the only player to have represented Liverpool who has ever been embroiled in controversy - that simply isn't the case

Suarez has apologised for the incident during Sunday's 2-2 draw and spoke to Ivanovic personally to say sorry.

Liverpool have fined the Uruguay international but insist he still has a future at Anfield.

Carragher said that other Liverpool players - such as Graeme Souness, Robbie Fowler and himself - had been backed by the club in the past after being involved in controversy.

"Luis knows he has done something seriously wrong, letting himself down," he added.

"The way things are now being pitched is that Liverpool have got to do something about the rotten apple in their midst.

Suarez past misdemeanours Suarez was banned for seven games when he was at Ajax after biting PSV Eindhoven midfielder Otman Bakkal's shoulder during a match in November 2010.

During his time at Liverpool, he was also given an eight-match ban and £40,000 fine by the FA for racially abusing Manchester United left-back Patrice Evra

"It is as if Luis is the only player to have represented Liverpool who has ever been embroiled in controversy. That simply isn't the case.

"Every one of the players I mention regretted what happened and Luis is the same. More importantly, the club stood by every one of them.

"Now I am not for one moment trying to sugar-coat the incident in which Luis bit Branislav Ivanovic. It was wrong on all levels.

"You simply don't expect to see a grown man bite another grown man - that is behaviour you would associate with nursery school.

"Yet was it worse than a challenge that could end someone's career?

"I know what it is like to have your leg broken by a reckless tackle. Lucas Neill cost me six months of my career in September 2003 when he played for Blackburn.

"Would I have preferred to have been bitten? Absolutely."

It is not the first time Suarez has been charged for biting, however. He was banned for seven games when he was at Ajax after biting PSV Eindhoven midfielder Otman Bakkal's shoulder during a match in November 2010.

During his time at Liverpool, he was given an eight-match ban and £40,000 fine by the FA in December 2011 for racially abusing Manchester United left-back Patrice Evra during a Premier League game.