Suarez banned after taking bite out of Italy
Uruguay striker Luis Suarez has been suspended for nine games and banned from football for four months after biting Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini during a World Cup match on Tuesday.
Suarez – who has two previous offenses for biting opponents – is also banned from entering a football stadium for four months after TV footage showed him sinking his teeth into Chiellini and ordered to pay a 100,000 Swiss francs (€82,203) fine.
The first match ban will take effect from Uruguay’s game against Colombia on Saturday, Claudio Sulser, chairman of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, said in a statement on Thursday.
“Such behaviour cannot be tolerated on any football pitch, and in particular not at a FIFA World Cup when the eyes of millions of people are on the stars on the field.”
FIFA said the disciplinary committee “took into account all the factors of the case and the degree of Mr Suárez’s guilt in accordance with the relevant provisions of the code. The decision comes into force as soon it is communicated.”
The remaining eight bans will apply to Uruguay’s World Cup games, depending on the team’s qualification, and the side’s subsequent official games.
Suarez or the Uruguayan Football Association may lodge an appeal, though they have not yet announced how they will proceed.
After the off-the-ball biting incident, Chiellini angrily remonstrated with Mexican referee Marco Rodriguez, pulling his shirt off his shoulder to show red marks on his neck.
The disgusted player later told Italian television: "He bit me, it's clear, I still have the mark."
"The referee should have blown his whistle and given him a red card."
Suarez sought to play down the incident in comments to Uruguayan television, claiming Chiellini had barged him.
"There are things that happen on the pitch and you should not make such a big deal out of them," Suarez said.
Italy lost the game 1-0, sending them crashing out of the World Cup. The team arrived home today to just fifteen fans.
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Suarez – who has two previous offenses for biting opponents – is also banned from entering a football stadium for four months after TV footage showed him sinking his teeth into Chiellini and ordered to pay a 100,000 Swiss francs (€82,203) fine.
The first match ban will take effect from Uruguay’s game against Colombia on Saturday, Claudio Sulser, chairman of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, said in a statement on Thursday.
“Such behaviour cannot be tolerated on any football pitch, and in particular not at a FIFA World Cup when the eyes of millions of people are on the stars on the field.”
FIFA said the disciplinary committee “took into account all the factors of the case and the degree of Mr Suárez’s guilt in accordance with the relevant provisions of the code. The decision comes into force as soon it is communicated.”
The remaining eight bans will apply to Uruguay’s World Cup games, depending on the team’s qualification, and the side’s subsequent official games.
Suarez or the Uruguayan Football Association may lodge an appeal, though they have not yet announced how they will proceed.
After the off-the-ball biting incident, Chiellini angrily remonstrated with Mexican referee Marco Rodriguez, pulling his shirt off his shoulder to show red marks on his neck.
The disgusted player later told Italian television: "He bit me, it's clear, I still have the mark."
"The referee should have blown his whistle and given him a red card."
Suarez sought to play down the incident in comments to Uruguayan television, claiming Chiellini had barged him.
"There are things that happen on the pitch and you should not make such a big deal out of them," Suarez said.
Italy lost the game 1-0, sending them crashing out of the World Cup. The team arrived home today to just fifteen fans.
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