Luis Suarez appeared to try and get a bite of Giorgio Chiellini 12-months ago
Going for it: Luis Suarez tried to bite Italy's Giorgio Chiellini at the Confederations Cup a year ago
Luis Suarez has had his eyes on Giorgio Chiellini's shoulder for quite some time it seems, with the 27-year-old appearing to attempt to bite the defender for the first time at the Confederations Cup 12 months ago!
Italy won that game on penalties after finishing 2-2 at the end of extra time, but Uruguay got their revenge this time round, beating them 1-0 through a Diego Godin header and knocking them out of the World Cup. But the biggest talking point, of course, was Suarez.
In for the kill: Suarez getting up close and personal with the Italy defender
Unimpressed: Chiellini reacted to Suarez's attempts to nibble on him
Shocking: Luis Suarez appeared to bite Girogio Chiellini's shoulder during Uruguay's win over Italy
In Natal on Tuesday, with just 12 minutes to go and the scores locked at 0-0, Suarez and Chiellini fell to the floor in the penalty area.
Chiellini seemed absolutely incensed and replays soon showed why as Suarez was shown apparently attempting to dig his teeth in his opponents’ shoulder.
Mexican referee Marco Rodriguez failed to spot the incident but in a statement on their official website, FIFA confirmed that it will investigate the 27-year-old's actions in Natal. The maximum time FIFA are able to ban a player for is two years.
Uruguay and Suarez have until 5pm local time (9pm BST) on Wednesday to provide evidence. He could be face a lengthy ban that would keep him out of the last-16 match against Colombia and beyond should Uruguay progress.
FIFA's statement said: 'FIFA can confirm that disciplinary proceedings have been opened against the player Luis Suarez of Uruguay following an apparent breach of article 48 and/or article 57 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code during the World Cup match Italy-Uruguay played on 24 June 2014.
'The player and/or the Uruguayan FA are invited to provide their position and any documentary evidence they deem relevant until 25 June 2014, 5pm, Brasilia time.
'According to article 77 lit. a of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC), the FIFA Disciplinary Committee is responsible for sanctioning serious infringements which have escaped the match officials’ attention.
'According to article 77 lit. a of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC), the FIFA Disciplinary Committee is responsible for sanctioning serious infringements which have escaped the match officials’ attention.
'Furthermore, according to article 96 of the FDC, any type of proof may be produced (par. 1), in particular are admissible, reports from referees, declarations from the parties and witnesses, material evidence, audio or video recordings (par. 3).'
Painful: Suarez holds his teeth in pain while Chiellini rolls around the floor in agony following the bite
Having a nibble: Chiellini bares his shoulder after the incident
The tooth hurts! Luis Suarez appeared to bite Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup
VIDEO Suarez in another bite storm
Crying foul! Giorgio Chiellini reacts after allegedly being bitten by Luis Suarez during Uruguay's 1-0 victory
Exhibit A: Giorgino Chiellini pulls down his shirt to show teeth marks to the referee
FIFA's disciplinary code sets a maximum ban of 24 matches or two years, but the longest ban in World Cup history was eight games for Italy's Mauro Tassotti for breaking Spain's Luis Enrique's nose in 1994 with an elbow. Zinedine Zidane was given a three-match ban for headbutting Marco Materazzi in the 2006 final.
Jim Boyce, Britain's FIFA vice-president and head of FIFA's referees committee, expressed concerns about Suarez's actions.
He said: 'I have watched the incident several times on television. There is no doubt Luis Suarez is a fantastic footballer but, once again, his actions have left him open to severe criticism.
'FIFA must investigate the incident seriously and take whatever disciplinary action deemed necessary.'
Senior FIFA official Michel D'Hooghe told BBC Radio 5 Live that the 'serious' case should be brought to a hearing in front of its disciplinary commission and that 'biting is not compatible with normal football practice.'
Previous: Luis Suarez received a seven game ban for biting PSV's Ottman Bakkal while playing for Ajax, 2010
Ouch! Ottman Bakkal shows the bite marks to a PSV teammate after the incident
Controversy: Luis Suarez is captured biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic in April 2013
Bite night! Defender explains what happened to the referee before Luis Suarez received a 10-game ban
Incredibly, it is the third time that Suarez is set to face disciplinary action for an incident involving biting an opponent.
He received a 10-game ban for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic in April 2013. After that incident he tweeted: 'I'm sad for what happened this afternoon, I apologize Ivanovic and all football world for my inexcusable behaviour. I'm so sorry about it!!'
Those words now seem even more hollow, especially as it was the second time he had failed to learn from his mistakes after previously receiving a seven-game ban for biting PSV's Ottman Bakkal while playing for Ajax in November 2010.
Comments
Post a Comment