Luis Suárez ‘bite’ incident leaves Uruguay striker facing long ban; Italy 0-1 Uruguay

Italy's Giorgio Chiellini shows his shoulder, claiming he was bitten by Uruguay's Luis Suarez in their World Cup match. Photograph: Tony Gentile/REUTERS

Luis Suárez wrote his name into World Cup infamy by biting the Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini towards the end of what turned out to be a dramatic Uruguay win that secured their progress into the last 16.
Uruguay looked to be heading for the exit in the 79th minute with the game locked at 0-0 – the South Americans needed victory – when Suárez tussled with Chiellini as they chased a ball inside the Italy penalty area.
The striker leaned his forehead into Chiellini, in what looked, initially, to be a headbutt before biting down on his opponent’s shoulder. Suárez flung himself to the ground and, moments later, he could be seen holding his teeth.
Chiellini reacted with fury, pulling down the neck of his shirt to expose what photographs revealed to be a bite mark. The Mexican referee Marco Rodríguez – whose nickname is Dracula – took no action, as he did not have a clear view of the flashpoint, but Fifa has opened an investigation and Suárez, not for the first time, faces a lengthy ban.
Fifa’s disciplinary code has the scope to ban a player for a maximum of 24 matches, although the longest ban in World Cup history was eight games for Italy’s Mauro Tassotti for breaking Spain’s Luís Enrique’s nose in 1994 with an elbow. Diego Godín’s 81st-minute winner sparked delirium for Uruguay but Suárez’s exploits cast the shadow.
“It was ridiculous not to send Suárez off,” Chiellini said. “It is clear, clear-cut. Then, there was the obvious dive afterwards because he knew very well that he did something that he shouldn’t have done.
“Suárez is a sneak and he gets away with it because Fifa want their stars to play in the World Cup. I’d love to see if they have the courage to use video evidence against him. The referee saw the bite mark too but he did nothing about.”
The Fifa vice-president Jim Boyce said: “I have watched the incident several times on television. There is no doubt Luis Suárez 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 deemed necessary.