24th June, 2014
Luis Suarez shocked the World Cup with a new biting storm Tuesday as Uruguay sensationally dumped ten-man Italy out of the tournament with a dramatic 1-0 victory on Tuesday.
Uruguay captain Diego Godin rose high to thump home an 81st-minute header to settle a gritty Group D battle in Natal. The victory saw Italy knocked out in the first round for the second straight World Cup.
But Italy’s stunning exit was overshadowed by an incredible incident involving Suarez — already banned twice before for biting opponents — just moments before Godin’s winner.
Television replays showed Suarez appearing to attempt to sink his teeth into Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini’s shoulder in an off-the-ball incident.
Chiellini leapt to his feet to remonstrate with Mexican referee Marco Rodriguez, pulling his shirt off his shoulder to show the red marks.
Afterwards a disgusted Chiellini 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, also because he was simulating,” added the Juventus player.
Close-up images of the incident appeared to show a red bite mark on Chiellini’s neck.
Uruguay’s veteran manager Oscar Tabarez pleaded ignorance of the incident.
“I didn’t see it. I’d like to see the images first,” he told a press conference.
Tabarez also suggested Suarez was being victimised by journalists.
“He is the preferred target for a lot of media,” Tabarez said.
Pressed on the issue, a visibly irritated Tabarez again refused to condemn Suarez.
“This is a football World Cup, it’s not about cheap morality.”
FIFA said it would study the referee’s report and the match video.
“We are awaiting the official match reports and will gather all the necessary elements in order to evaluate the matter,” FIFA spokeswoman Delia Fischer told AFP.
If found guilty by FIFA disciplinary chiefs, the incident would almost certainly mean the end of the tournament for Suarez, painted as a villain at the 2010 World Cup for his deliberate goal-line handball which denied Ghana a famous quarter-final victory.
In November 2010 he was banned for seven matches by the Netherlands FA after biting PSV Eindhoven’s Otman Bakkal on the shoulder when he played for Ajax.
Suarez was dubbed “the Cannibal of Ajax” by Dutch media.
In April 2013, he was given a 10-match ban by the English FA after biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic in a match at Anfield.
He was also banned for eight matches in 2011 for racially abusing Manchester United’s Patrice Evra.
Italy, who had Claudio Marchisio sent off in the second half join a growing number of European sides on the World Cup scrapheap after the exit of Spain, England, Croatia and Bosnia.
In Group D’s other game in Belo Horizonte, Costa Rica ensured England’s miserable World Cup ended with a whimper after a 0-0 draw.
The result means Costa Rica win the group, unbeaten after three games, with Uruguay finishing as runners-up.
Costa Rica will play the runners-up from Group C in Saturday’s second round while Uruguay face the group winners.