Luis Suarez banned but what are football's deadliest sins?

The four-month ban handed out to Uruguay striker Luis Suarez for his latest bite, this time on Italy's Giorgio Chiellini, has again highlighted the boundaries of what behaviour is acceptable on a football field. BBC Sport - with the help of pundit Steve Claridge, who played for 22 different clubs in a 29-year professional career - examines just how far you can go before you commit the sport's ultimate sin, BBC News reports. Brawling Verdict: 'Not a big deal' The term 'fight' in football should be used loosely. Very rarely do we see a scrap fit for Madison Square Garden on the pitch, though one or two players have certainly shown they pack a tasty right-hook. Francis Lee and Norman Hunter threw thunderous punches at one another when Derby met Leeds in 1975, and Hristo Stoichkov was initially handed a lifetime ban for his role in a ding-dong during the 1985 Bulgarian Cup final. Stoichkov, who later managed Bulgaria, eventually saw his penalty reduced to a month. QPR midfielder Joey Barton, meanwhile, served a 12-match ban for sparking a melee on the final day of the 2011-12 season at Manchester City. Barton was sent off and thrust a knee into Sergio Aguero's thigh before leaving the field. Cue chaos. "The actual brawl is not what the incident is about," said BBC Radio 5 live pundit Claridge. "It comes after something. It's not a big deal in my view and part and parcel of a physical game. "I can remember playing for Weymouth and good old Vinnie Jones was involved in a fight with our goalkeeper and it got very unsavoury. But these things happen and once it's done, it's done." Elbowing Verdict: 'It can do serious damage' Mauro Tassotti played seven times for Italy and was given an eight-match ban in his final appearance.

The defender's vicious elbow to the face of Luis Enrique at the 1994 World Cup bloodied the shirt of the Spanish player, but he escaped immediate punishment from the referee as Italy won 2-1 to reach the semi-finals. Ex-Manchester City defender Ben Thatcher also escaped without a red card when his elbow on Pedro Mendes in 2006 left the Portsmouth player needing oxygen next to the pitch. Again, football's authorities had the final say, handing Thatcher an eight-match ban. "You can see an elbow that's thrown and one that genuinely goes up for a header," said Claridge. "I could tell you which ones are intentional every time. "It can do some serious damage - extreme damage. If you did it 20 years ago, you'd have reprisals, no doubt about it. You could get the guy back. "If you see something like that it brings a reaction, that's part of being a team-mate. I remember the British Lions rugby team and they would shout a '99' call [on their 1974 tour of South Africa] when they knew, if they heard it, they had to fight and look after one another."