FIFA bans Luis Suarez for biting incident, Uruguay strikes back

Amidst the fanfare and excitement at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, there’s an unhappy ending for one soccer player and his team. Luis Suarez, star striker for Uruguay, has been banned from all football activity for the next four months due to the fact that he bit an opponent.

Suarez bit the shoulder of Italy player Giorgio Chiellini during a game on Tuesday.

FIFA’s ban prevents Suarez from competing in the remainder of the tournament and the start of the upcoming Premiere League season. It also restricts him from playing in Uruguay’s next nine international games — including next year’s Copa America and some qualifying matches for the 2018 World Cup.

“Such behavior 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,” Claudio Sulser, chairman of the FIFA disciplinary committee, said in a statement.

But the Uruguayan football federation isn’t accepting the decision. It plans to appeal to FIFA, saying it was an “excessive decision” and that “there was not enough evidence”.

Uruguay fans are equally displeased, worried that the ban could sound the death knell for the team at the World Cup. Some, like Uruguayan vendor Juan Jose Monzillo, believe his removal was strategic.

“They clearly wanted to kick Suarez out of the World Cup. Uruguay is a small country that eliminated two big nations like Italy and England and it doesn’t benefit FIFA to let Uruguay continue playing.”