SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia goalkeeper Danny Vukovic is planning to appeal a FIFA decision that would prevent him from playing at the Beijing Olympics.

Vukovic was banned for nine months after striking referee Mark Shields during the A-League grand final earlier this year.

The Football Federation of Australia agreed to let Vukovic serve his penalty in two parts, allowing him to play at the Olympics in August.

However, world soccer's governing body overturned that decision and ordered him to serve the nine-month ban consecutively.

Vukovic's club, Central Coast Mariners, announced on Thursday they were appealing the decision on behalf of their keeper, believing FIFA had not followed their own rules by overturning the ban.

"We have carefully considered the FIFA decision and we have respect for the process and for FIFA's role in this situation," Central Coast Executive Chairman Lyall Gorman said in a statement.

"However, FIFA's powers are confined by a detailed series of rules and regulations and in this case we consider that FIFA exceeded their power in ruling as they have."

(Reporting by Julian Linden; Editing by Peter Rutherford)