World Cup: Luis Suarez to learn fate within next 24 hours
Luis Suarez will find out in the next 24 hours whether he will be banned for the rest of the World Cup over his apparent bite on Giorgio Chiellini.
FIFA’s disciplinary committee met until late last night without coming to a verdict on the case of the Liverpool striker, who has been charged with misconduct for biting the Italy defender.
The hearing will continue today after Suarez, who could face a lengthy worldwide ban if found guilty, was set a deadline of 9pm to respond to the allegations over the incident which occurred during the second half of Uruguay’s 1-0 win over Italy on Tuesday.
“We know they met for a long time but we don’t know if that means a good or a bad situation. They will continue in the morning,” said Uruguay FA president Wilmar Valdez.
“We have to resolve it either today or tomorrow. It’s our duty to see justice done,” added FIFA disciplinary panel member Martin Hong.
Uruguay captain Diego Lugano has defended Luis Suarez and claims the incident with Chiellini was an isolated incident.
“The pictures don’t show anything. They show an approximation,” said Lugano.
“I think it’s so, so clear, so evident, that it surprises me and I even find it funny the importance given to an isolated incident while nobody paid attention to much more potentially dangerous incidents for the health of players.
“I think that nowadays everything can be explained by what sells in football and the huge character of Luis Suarez.”
“When he falls, several substitutes insult him on the ground and some members of Italy’s staff even came out of the bench to try to hit him,” said Valdez.
FIFA’s case against Suarez will be managed by a Swiss lawyer, Claudio Sulser, chairman of the FIFA disciplinary committee.
A former international forward himself, Sulser has worked for four years at FIFA, first as head of its ethics court.
Sulser can choose to judge the offence within the scale of typical red-card incidents: A three-match ban may then be appropriate, banishing Suarez at least until the World Cup final should Uruguay advance that far.
The maximum penalty would be a ban of 24 international matches.
FIFA can also choose to ban Suarez for up to two years. That would cover club and international games and would ruin a widely speculated transfer to Barcelona or Real Madrid.
