Uruguay football chiefs are shocked by the eight-match ban handed down to Liverpool striker Luis Suarez.

Suarez is set to appeal the ruling which was handed down after the FA found him guilty for racially abusing Manchester United fullback Patrice Evra.

Uruguay's national director of sports, Ernesto Irurueta, called the ban "exaggerated, absurd and out of place." Uruguay's head coach Oscar Tabarez vowed to continue to support Suarez.

Tabarez said: "He has our full support and solidarity because seen from a distance this seems like an excessive punishment."