(CNN) -- Luis Suarez will have to wait until late October to make his debut for Spanish club Barcelona after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) partially upheld the Uruguay star's ban for biting an opponent on Thursday. 

The striker was suspended from all football-related activity for four months -- preventing him from even training -- after he bit Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini on the shoulder during a World Cup group game in Brazil in late June, and banned for nine international matches. 

Switzerland-based CAS heard the 27-year-old's case last week as he appealed against the punishment imposed by soccer's world governing body FIFA. 

Suarez and his legal team had spent five hours before a three-man CAS appeal panel in Lausanne in an attempt to reduce the suspension, but the ban on playing was upheld along with a fine of $111,000. 

However, CAS said he is free to take part in other football-related duties "such as training, promotional activities and administrative matters" and confirmed Suarez would be available to play friendly matches for Barcelona and the Uruguay national team during his suspension. 

"The CAS Panel found that the sanctions imposed on the player were generally proportionate to the offense committed," the ruling stated. 

"It has however considered that the stadium ban and the ban from 'any football-related activity' were excessive given that such measures are not appropriate to sanction the offense committed by the player and would still have an impact on his activity after the end of the suspension." 
Who was the victim?
he bit Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini