Luis Suarez Bite Victim: Giorgio Chiellini Thinks Ban Is ‘Excessive’
Luis Suarez bite victim, Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini, thinks the four month ban issued by FIFA on the Uruguayan striker is excessive. But some would beg to differ, and believe that the football ruling body did the right thing.
The now infamous incident happened during the decisive match between Uruguay and Italy. At the time, Uruguay needed to win to advance to the round of 16. Even though Italy was down a player (Claudio Marchisio’s red card), Uruguay could not break the Azzurri’s defense.
Suarez got frustrated with the tough Chiellini — one of the best defenders in the world — and during a play in the box, bumped and bit him while cameras rolled. Suarez’s bite victim complained loudly to the referee whose back was to the action, pulling his shirt off to show his marked shoulder. Uruguay scored the winning goal a few moments after the incident.
After reviewing the attack, FIFA ruled that Suarez would be suspended from all activities related to football for four months, miss out on nine national games, and pay a hefty fine. Chiellini — who thinks that is too much — had this to say on a piece he wrote on the blog Sportlobster:
“Now inside me there are no feelings of joy, revenge or anger against Suarez for an incident, which happened on the pitch and is done. There only remains the anger and the disappointment about the match. At the moment, my only thought is for Luis and his family, because they will face a very difficult period.”
“I have always unequivocally considered the disciplinary interventions by the competent bodies, but at the same time I believe the proposed formula is excessive. I sincerely hope he will be allowed to stay close to his teammates during the games, because such a ban is really alienating for a player.”
On Friday, Uruguay said it would appeal the severe ban. If upheld, the punishment would deny the South Americans its top scorer in the 2015 Copa America and 2018 World Cup qualifiers, a huge blow for Uruguay.
Chiellini is Luis Suarez’s third bite victim. In 2010, Suarez was banned for seven matches from the Dutch Leaague for biting PSV Eindhoven’s Otman Bakkal, which earned him the nickname “Cannibal of Ajax.” Suarez was also suspended for biting a second victim, Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic, in April of 2013.
Even though Luis Suarez’s bite victim thinks FIFA’s punishment is excessive, many fans and experts have been quite vocal in their support of the ban. Social media has been having lots of fun at the expense of the troubled striker. Take a look at this timeline:
[Image via Twitter]
