Luis Suarez faces TWO-YEAR ban after being charged by FIFA with BITING an Italian defender
A decision on whether he is guilty of 'assaulting an opponent' must be published before Saturday, when Uruguay play Colombia in a Round of 16 match.
Fifa's rules state that any ban could apply to all football matches - both international and domestic.
Both teams were fighting for qualification for the next round and the score still stood at 0-0 in the final minutes.
Then, 27-year-old Suárez clashed with Italy's Chiellini, 29, with live footage showing him lean his head towards his opponent's shoulder.
Both players fell to the ground with Suárez clutching his infamous teeth while Chiellini gesticulated furiously and pulled down his shirt to show the point of impact.
Close-up images appeared to show the imprints of at least five teeth on Chiellini's naked shoulder.
But Liverpool FC star Suárez was not handed a yellow or red card - and minutes after the confrontation Uruguay went 1-0 up, winning the match and qualifying for the knockout stages.
He told Rai TV: 'It was ridiculous not to send Suárez off... It is clear, clear-cut and then there was the obvious dive afterwards because he knew very well that he did something that he shouldn’t have done.'
He continued, telling Sky Sports Italia: 'Suárez is a sneak and he gets away with it because Fifa want their stars to play in the World Cup.
'I'd love to see if they have the courage to use video evidence against him. The referee saw the bite mark too, but he did nothing about it.'
Suárez himself said after the game: 'These are things that happen on the pitch, we were both in the area, he thrust his shoulder into me.
Within minutes #Suarez was Britain's quickest-trending phrase on Twitter as fans reacted with a collective groan.
The incident sparked a storm of debate on social media including among England fans, whose team Suárez helped boot out of the World Cup last week.
Instantly there were memes of the outspoken player concealed behind a dogs' veterinary collar, vampire fangs and a Hannibal Lecter-style mask.
Comments
Post a Comment