Luis Suarez ‘bite’: Uruguay striker in World Cup controversy
Uruguay’s Luis Suarez has been accused of biting a player for the third time in his career after an incident with Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup.
The Liverpool striker lunged at Italy defender Chiellini shortly beforeDiego Godin scored to give Uruguay a 1-0 win.
Chiellini pulled his shirt down to show the referee a mark on his shoulder but no action was taken by the official.
The maximum ban Suarez could face if governing body Fifa takes retrospective action is 24 matches or two years.
Godin’s winner means four-time champions Italy finish third in Group D at the 2014 Fifa World Cup, and exit before the knockout stages for the second finals in a row.
“Suarez is a sneak,” said Chiellini. “I’d love to see if Fifa has the courage to use video evidence against him.
“The referee saw the bite mark too, but he did nothing about it.”
Suarez, who committed a handball on the line to stop Ghana from scoring at the 2010 World Cup, told Uruguayan television: “These are just things that happen out on the pitch. It was just the two of us inside the area and he bumped into me with his shoulder.
“There are things that happen on the pitch and you should not make such a big deal out of them.”
After the clash between the players, Suarez went to ground holding his mouth, apparently suggesting he had been elbowed.
As Chiellini, 29, ran after referee Marco Rodriguez, Uruguay forward Gaston Ramirez attempted to get the defender to cover his shoulder.
Fifa will wait to receive the referee’s report before deciding whether to investigate, with a spokeswoman telling BBC Sport: “We will gather all the necessary elements in order to evaluate the matter.”
The disciplinary committee of world football’s governing body has the authority to “sanction serious infringements which have escaped the match officials’ attention”.
The longest ban in World Cup history is eight games for Italy’s Mauro Tassotti for breaking Spain player Luis Enrique’s nose in 1994 with an elbow, while Zinedine Zidane was given a three-match ban for headbutting Marco Materazzi during the 2006 final.
Fifa vice-president Jim Boyce said: “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 is deemed necessary.”
Luis Suarez’s controversies
July 2010 – Handles on the line to deny Ghana a winner in the last minute of extra-time in the World Cup quarter-finals. Asamoah Gyan misses the resulting penalty and Uruguay win the shootout to reach the semi-finals.
November 2010 – Given seven- match ban for biting PSV Eindhoven’s Otman Bakkal on the shoulder while playing for Ajax.
December 2011 – Given eight-match suspension and fined £40,000 for racially abusing Manchester United’s Patrice Evra.
February 2012 – Refuses to shake hands with Evra at Old Trafford and is described as a “disgrace” by United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
April 2013 – Suarez apologises for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic and receives a 10-game ban.
Michel D’Hooghe, a senior member of Fifa’s ruling executive committee and the chairman of the world governing body’s medical commission, said Suarez should face a disciplinary commission hearing.
“I think that biting is not compatible with normal football practice,” he told BBC Sport.
“This is really a serious case for our disciplinary commission.”
Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez tried to play down the incident and said there was a vendetta from certain parts of the media towards Suarez.
“I’d like to see the images first before making any comment. If it happened, then the referee probably didn’t see it,” said Tabarez.
“Despite mistakes Suarez has made, he is the target of certain media, a certain press.”
Uruguay captain Diego Lugano also defended Suarez, whose two goals in the tournament so far came in the victory over England, and criticised the actions of Chiellini.
“What did you see? You saw this, really? You need to show me because I didn’t see anything,” said Lugano.
“Did you see it today or did you see what happened in other years? You couldn’t have seen it today because nothing happened.
“The worst of everything is the attitude of Chiellini.”
Italy manager Cesare Prandelli, who announced his resignation after the game, said: “I didn’t see the images of Suarez but I did see the bite marks in Chiellini’s shoulder.”
Suarez was banned for 10 games for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic during a Premier League match in April 2013.
He was also banned for seven games for biting PSV Eindhoven midfielder Otman Bakkal’s shoulder while Ajax captain in 2010.
The forward courted controversy at the World Cup four years ago when he used his hand to block Dominic Adiyiah’s goalbound shot in the 120th minute.
Suarez was sent off, while Ghana missed the subsequent penalty and went on to lose the quarter-final in a penalty shootout.
BBC Sport pundit and former England striker Alan Shearer sayss Suarez should be severely punished for the Chiellini incident if found guilty.
“I could not believe it,” he said. “The pictures are pretty damning and, if found guilty, they should hammer him.
“He has built up his reputation over the last 12 months and to come into the tournament and do that, I am lost for words.
“I can understand why the referee did not see it clearly but they can look at video evidence and there is no way he can get away with that. It is pretty clear. What on earth is he thinking of?”
Former England international Chris Waddle said Suarez needs to be “severely punished”.
“Let’s see how strong Fifa are,” he added. “There will be people who will defend him, but I don’t know why. I’d make him wear a gumshield.”
obonatasha said:
I would have to agree that players pull all sorts of weird antics to win a game and what more during the World Cup. Yes, Suarez did bite a player. It’s embarrassing and immature honestly but a 4 month ban is perhaps just too harsh.
I’m not condoning his actions but quoting the Uruguay caption Diego Lugano, “Did you see it today or did you see what happened in other years?” Perhaps Fifa was more inclined to issue such a punishment on him because he has repeatedly done the same mistake. Yet, despite the fact that he had ‘bitten’ other players over the years, I feel that omitting him the privilege to play or even enter any stadium in the world for 4 months is ridiculous.
The fact is that they have disallowed him from playing matches before for ‘biting others’ and the truth is that he hasn’t really been effectively deterred from committing such an act again. There needs to be other ways to deter players from resorting to such antics and honestly, disallowing someone to even enter a stadium anywhere in the world is pushing a punishment too far.
elsontong said:
Suarez’s actions can be seen as barbaric to gain an advantage over his opponents. Any sort of violence on the soccer field is bound to be inevitable, given the competitive nature of the game, hence the ‘pushing and pulling’ that is common in the game. However, biting is a savage and immature act, not fitting the supposed role model image that these prominent sportsmen hold in many of their fan’s eyes. The fact that there are fans who condone this behavior is truly shocking, even if it is a ‘supposed’ sign of allegiance to the club. The punishment issued is well-deserved, and should serve as a reminder to all soccer players to play by a sense of sportsmanship, not resort to such tactics to express their frustration or to gain a competitive advantage in the game.
tsaquiff said:
As a fan of Manchester United, I naturally do not fancy Suarez even though he is undeniably one of the best strikers in the world. The fact that he resorts to such methods to gain an advantage over his opponent makes me hate him even more.
However, I feel that the punishment imposed on Suarez is more than what he actually deserves. People may argue that this is not the first time that Suarez has decided to make a meal out of his opponents but a 4 months ban from any football related activity is way too much. We have to look at it from Suarez’s point of view. When you are representing your country at the World Cup, you would do anything to prolong your country’s tournament campaign and in Suarez’s case, he decided to bite Chiellini. What Suarez did was certainly disgraceful, but football players would do anything to win at the World Cup.
chewhuijun20 said:
Actually, I think that the 4 months are quite fair, if not slightly lenient. I would especially like to point out what you said about how when a player is representing his country in the word cup, he would do anything to prolong their campaign. This spirit, put into the right avenue, is what makes great football players. However, when players like Suarez brings such a spirit and takes it to such extremes, where he is willing to blatantly cheat to progress to the next stage, it is totally unacceptable in my book. Grantland Rice writes, “not that you won or lost –
But how you played the Game”. As a community, we have to take a strong stand and make an example of such players that blatantly cheat and try to hurt the opponent. A simple slap on the wrist will send a message to the other players that the community is willing to condone their actions. Can you imagine the day where immensely talented players will hesitate to wow us with their fabulous footwork in fear of some villain like Suarez would come and intentionally hurt them -perhaps with a malicious bone breaking tackle- all in the name of doing everything they can to help their team progress? That my friend, would be a sad day in football. And that might just one day come true, if Fifa does not make an example out of Suarez and punish him severely.
chewhuijun20 said:
As a fan of the beautiful game, as it is so endearingly referred to, I was absolutely disgusted when I saw and read of this incident. This is third time this particular player, Luis Suarez, had sunk his teeth into another player during a match in his career.
The act of biting another person, especially in the sporting arena, is absolutely unacceptable. The are, of course, various misdemeanours on the field that various footballers are guilty of committing, such as brawling, swinging elbows, and simulation but these can be considered to be more ‘forgivable’ due to the physical nature of the game. Biting, on the other hand, is such a primal, raw and savage act that has to be premeditated. It is absolutely unbecoming of a sportsmen and FIFA cannot condone such behaviour.
What is most disturbing as to be the people speaking out in support for Suarez. As members of the footballing community, from the causal fan to the members of FIFA, we have to be united in the cause of eradicating such vulgar behaviour from the sport. While it may be tempting to condone is behaviour simply because he plays for the club that one supports, we need to recognise that this is bigger than just our allegiances, it is about the sport as a whole. Considering Suarez’s track record, there is a need for an example to be made out of him, and to slap him with a hefty ban. With top players like him being a role model for children and young players everywhere, it is imperative that the powers that be recognise that such bad behaviour cannot be condoned and act accordingly
I am very pleased that recently, FIFA has issued a 4 month ban on Suarez, but felt that the punishment could be slightly more severe. Nevertheless, it is heartening to see that the powers that be has the courage and the conviction to take such definitive steps to send the strong message that they will not allow such behaviour on the pitch and would do everything they can to keep the game beautiful.
danielyien said:
I strongly agree with your views of biting being absolutely unacceptable, and support FIFA banning imbeciles such as Suarez from the game (albeit temporarily). Even in combat sports such as Muay Thai or American Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) where roundhouse kicks powerful enough to break baseball bats are legal, the fact that they ban moves such as bites shows the damage that can be inflicted with one’s teeth, which (according to the rules) could do more than destroy baseball bats.
However, I question your notion that people have supported Suarez. As someone not in touch with the football scene, others have either ignored it or turned it into a joke but I have yet to see someone supporting a quasi-cannibalistic hooligan with no respect for the rules. At worst, Suarez has been turned into an object of mockery with memes depicting him wearing Hannibal Lecter’s mask and requesting to come back and play, something which I interpret as being against him due to the degradation from athlete to a badly disciplined pooch.
On the other hand, it is people like Suarez who serve as a bonding agent for the fans, someone everyone can hate together and thus unite over. Using the example of Idra in the E-sports scene, people have agreed that despite his horrible etiquette (trash talking, cheating), he is an integral part of the community simply because of his behavior. In every sports scene it is these bogeymen who widen the repertoire of people in any scene. In my opinion, these people should continue their actions but tone them down to less dangerous levels such as Idra who curses his foe’s playstyle with vulgarities rather than attempting to eat them, for in the long run, it is beneficial to the community’s survival at the marginal expense of one person’s feelings or body.