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Suarez Urged To Seek Professional Help Over Biting

Suarez Urged To Seek Professional Help Over Biting

Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Luis Suarez faced mounting calls to seek professional treatment on Friday as the banned Uruguay striker’s bite victim claimed his punishment had been too harsh.

Suarez returned home to a hero’s welcome in Montevideo on Friday after being kicked out of the World Cup for biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini.

It is the the third time in four years that Suarez has been sanctioned for biting, and the latest incident triggered revulsion throughout the football world.

FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke led calls for Suarez to seek help, brushing off suggestions that the Liverpool star’s four-month worldwide ban from all football activity was too severe.

Asked if he had a message for Suarez, Valcke told reporters: “I think he should find a way to stop doing it.

“He should go through a treatment. It is definitely wrong.”

The international professional footballer’s union FIFPro meanwhile said in a statement FIFA should have made mandatory treatment part of its sanction.

“Luis Suarez should receive all the support he needs to deal with any off-field issues he may be experiencing at this time,” FIFPro said.

“This means that the focus should be on the rehabilitation and serious treatment of the player.

“FIFPro believes that treatment must be a part of any sanction.”

Italy defender Chiellini meanwhile expressed sympathy for Suarez and criticized FIFA’s punishment, which is the heaviest ever imposed on a player during a World Cup.

“I have always considered unequivocal the disciplinary interventions by the competent bodies, but at the same time I believe that the proposed formula is excessive,” said Chiellini on his website.

But Valcke dismissed Chiellini’s comments when told of them.

“You will always find someone who says it’s excessive,” Valcke said. “It’s not only him who says it’s excessive.”

When pointed out that Chiellini was the victim, Valcke replied: “So what?

“They are decisions which are made by the disciplinary committee based on what they have seen,” Valcke said.

“Again, it’s not just about the incident — it was seen by hundreds of millions of people.

“It is not what you want, your kids, the little ones who are playing football around the world, to see in a football game at the level of the World Cup, or any level — amateur football or professional football.”

Suarez, 27, bid farewell to his teammates on Thursday as they prepared for Saturday’s last 16 game with Colombia. FIFA said the ban on football activities meant he could not stay at the hotel. Suarez will not even be allowed in a stadium where Uruguay are playing during the four months.

The Uruguayan nation has rallied behind the shamed goalscorer however.

A private jet carrying the player landed in Montevideo just before dawn. Hundreds of fans carrying banners with slogans such as “Luis, All Of Uruguay Is With You” were waiting.

“He has been treated worse than a murderer, when it was just a mistake,” one of the fans at the airport told AFP.

President Jose Mujica went to the airport intending to greet the star striker. He left because Suarez’s flight was delayed.

Suarez was driven away to his mother’s home in the southern province of Canelones.

Fallout from Suarez’s ban spread quickly with gambling website 888 Poker terminating its sponsorship deal with the player.

Sports equipment giant Adidas said it was halting the use of Suarez in adverts for the duration of the World Cup. The company said it “fully” backed FIFA’s ban.

British media speculated that the sanctions could wipe a substantial amount off the value of Suarez if Liverpool decide to sell him. The English club has not yet commented on the case insisting it was waiting to see FIFA’s report.

Spanish media said that Barcelona remained interested in Suarez despite the scandal. Barcelona refused to comment on the reports that Suarez’s lawyer would hold talks with the club on Friday.

After Suarez scored two goals against England, media reports said Barclona and Real Madrid would be ready to offer 100 million euros for the striker — triggering a release clause in his Liverpool contract.

Because of the four-month ban, Suarez would not be allowed to play in any championship, nor train with any team, until October.

AFP Photo/Daniel Garcia

Suarez Faces World Cup Ban Over Bite

Suarez Faces World Cup Ban Over Bite

Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Football disciplinary chiefs gathered evidence against Luis Suarez on Wednesday as calls mounted for the Uruguay star to be kicked out of the World Cup after his latest biting storm.

The Liverpool striker shocked the footballing world when he sank his teeth into Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini during Uruguay’s 1-0 victory over the Azzurri on Tuesday.

Suarez, banned twice before for biting opposing players, could be expelled from the tournament if found guilty.

Suarez and Uruguayan officials have until 5:00 pm to submit evidence to a disciplinary panel set up by football’s governing body FIFA.

“The disciplinary committee is working to get a decision as early as possible,” FIFA spokeswoman Delia Fischer said when asked if a decision would likely be made before Uruguay’s last 16 match against Colombia on Saturday.

Fischer would not speculate on any possible punishment, although she said Suarez’s previous offences could be taken into account.

“The disciplinary committee can take all elements into account as it deems necessary,” she said.

While Suarez had “a right to be heard”, he was not expected to travel to Rio de Janeiro from Uruguay’s training base to address any disciplinary hearing, Fischer said.

Suarez was nowhere to be seen Wednesday as his Uruguay team-mates trained in Natal amid the raging controversy.

Suarez, who plays in the English Premier League for Liverpool, is one of the world’s biggest stars, and could theoretically be banned for up to 24 games under FIFA rules.

Fischer declined to say whether any potential punishment of Suarez could extend to club football as well as international football.

“It’s the disciplinary committee which decides the scope of any potential sanctions,” she said.

Suarez has already received long bans for biting during his club career as well as racially abusing Manchester United player Patrice Evra during a game in 2011.

The latest flashpoint occurred towards the end of Uruguay’s clash with Italy.

Replays showed Suarez biting Chiellini’s shoulder as the two players made contact in an off-the-ball incident.

Chiellini angrily remonstrated with Mexican referee Marco Rodriguez, pulling his shirt off his shoulder to show red marks on his neck.

Afterwards, Chiellini told Italian television: “He bit me, it’s clear, I still have the mark.”

Suarez sought to play down the incident in comments to Uruguayan television, claiming Chiellini had barged him.

“There are things that happen on the pitch and you should not make such a big deal out of them,” Suarez said.

However the damning video evidence drew almost blanket condemnation on Wednesday across the globe.

Former England captain Alan Shearer, working in Brazil for the BBC, said FIFA should impose a lengthy global ban.

“I would give him a worldwide ban for as long as I could,” Shearer said.

“It’s not the first time, it’s not the second time, it’s the third time — to actually bite someone on a football pitch in front of millions. It’s unacceptable.”

Sponsors linked to Suarez reacted cautiously.

German sporting goods manufacturer Adidas said it was awaiting FIFA’s “full investigation into this matter.”

British online gambling firm 888poker said it was “reviewing” it’s relationship with the player.

“We will not tolerate unsporting behaviour,” the firm said.

Many in Uruguay defended Suarez, echoing suggestions by coach Oscar Tabarez that he was being unfairly persecuted.

“We have no doubt that this (probe) was started because it is Suarez, and two because Italy was eliminated,” Alejandro Balbi, lawyer and member of the board of the Uruguayan football federation, told radio Sport 890.

“There is no doubt that Suarez is a stone in the shoe for many,” he added.

But a notable exception was ageing national hero Alcides Ghiggia, who scored Uruguay’s World Cup-winning goal against Brazil in the 1950 tournament in Rio.

“This boy’s clearly not right in the head. That’s just not something you do on the pitch,” said Ghiggia.

With the Suarez controversy dominating the off-field headlines, it was left to Argentina captain Lionel Messi to put the focus back on football.

Messi scored two goals — taking his tournament tally to four in three games — as Argentina beat Nigeria 3-2 to finish top of Group F.

Nigeria also reached the last 16 for the first time since 1998 despite the defeat after Iran were beaten 3-1 by already eliminated Bosnia.

©afp.com / Javier Soriano