Luis Suárez was today charged with biting an opponent in a World Cup match – which could see him banned for up to 24 matches or two years if found guilty.
The Uruguayan forward is accused of sinking his jaws into the shoulder of Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini in Brazil, just 14 months after he had to apologise for doing the same thing in Britain.
FIFA’s disciplinary committee said this morning that it had opened proceedings against Liverpool player Suarez, and has asked his team to present evidence by 5pm local time (9pm BST) today.
Both teams were fighting for qualification for the next round and the score still stood at 0-0 in the final minutes.
Then, Suárez clashed with Italy’s Chiellini, 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.
Chiellini, who plays for Italian team Juventus, reacted furiously after the final whistle and insisted he had been bitten.
He told Rai TV: ‘It was ridiculous not to send Suarez 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: ‘Suarez is a sneak and he gets away with it because FIFA want their stars to play in the World Cup.
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