SAO PAULO — Uruguay knocked mighty Italy out of the World Cup on
Tuesday with a 1-0 victory that had real teeth to it — those fangs belonging
once again to Luis Suarez.
Suarez is infamous for channeling Mike Tyson and irrationally biting
opponents in emotional moments. He clearly clamped his mouth down on Giorgio
Chiellini’s shoulder, from the back, in the 79th minute of the match. While
Chiellini attempted to show the bite mark to the referee, Suarez fell to the
ground and held his teeth, as if he were in great pain.
“These things happen in the box,” Suarez reportedly told Uruguayan
media. “We were in contact, chest against shoulder, and I got a knock to the
eye.”
“Suarez is a sneak and he gets away with it because FIFA want their
stars to play in the World Cup,” Chiellini told Sky Sport Italia.
FIFA said early Wednesday that its disciplinary committee has opened
proceedings against the Uruguay forward after charging him with biting. If the
panel finds Suarez guilty of assaulting an opponent, FIFA rules call for a ban
of at least two matches up to a maximum of 24 months. FIFA asked the team to
present evidence by 5 p.m. Wednesday. A decision must be published before
Saturday, when Uruguay plays Colombia in a round-of-16 match.
Any action would depend on FIFA judging the case using video evidence —
something FIFA president Sepp Blatter supports. Video reviews are used
sparingly at the World Cup, and FIFA said it would first review match referee
Marco Rodriguez’s report before evaluating it.
Just two minutes after the bite, Uruguay defender Diego Godin deflected
a corner kick into the goal with his own shoulder, for the winner.
As a result, Uruguay finished in second place behind Costa Rica in
Group D, while Italy was knocked out in the first round for the second straight
World Cup, coming off its 2006 championship.
Even though Suarez was not disciplined on the field, he could still be
suspended by FIFA for Uruguay’s second-round match after the film is reviewed.
In April of 2013, sports psychologist Dr. Thomas Fawcett of the
University of Salford predicted to the BBC that Suarez would likely bite again.
HNNMMM, Interesting testing of flesh n blood in the name football attack..... guy becareful and control your teeth......
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