Uruguay striker Luis Suarez will know his World Cup fate by the weekend after FIFA officially began investigating claims the Liverpool star bit Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini in the countries’ final Group D match on Wednesday.
Uruguay won the game 1-0 to book its spot in the round of 16, but Suarez’s involvement in the rest of the tournament is in grave doubt after footage seemingly showed the 27-year-old sinking his teeth into Chiellini’s shoulder in the first half. No action was taken on the field by the referee, but Suarez faces a ban of up to two years if found guilty of assaulting an opponent.
Suarez has an unsavoury history of putting his mouth where it doesn’t belong on a football field. He was banned for eight matches in November 2010 for biting while playing for Ajax in the Dutch first division before repeating the offence at Liverpool in the English Premier League in April 2013.
A 10-match suspension was handed out on the second occasion, but it appears the troubled star didn’t learn his lesson and has brought football into disrepute on the game’s biggest stage. Speaking to Italian television after Wednesday’s game, Chiellini blasted Suarez for his antics. “He bit me, it’s clear, I still have the mark,” he said. “The referee should have blown his whistle and given him a red card.”
Uruguay are next in action against Colombia on Saturday, with FIFA’s ruling on Suarez expected before then. In World Cup matches played overnight, Bosnia and Herzegovina beat Iran 3-1, Switzerland thumped Honduras 3-0, Ecuador and France drew 0-0, while a double to Lionel Messi helped Argentina to a 3-2 victory over Nigeria.
