The Liverpool striker stressed in his official defence to Fifa’s disciplinary committee that he never had any intention to bite the Italy centre-back in their World Cup match
Uruguay attacker Luis Suarez has claimed that he did not deliberately bite Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini during their World Cup encounter on June 24.
Referee Marco Rodriguez failed to spot the incident in the 79th minute of Tuesday’s match but Fifa opened an investigation into the incident after video footage showed the Liverpool forward’s teeth making contact with Chiellini’s shoulder.
When asked by Fifa’s disciplinary committee to give his stance on the incident, Suarez wrote that he never intended to bite the Italy defender but that the incident was the result of a set of unfortunate events.
“In no way [did] it happen how you have described, as a bite or intent to bite,” read Suarez’s official defence to Fifa.
“After the impact … I lost my balance, making my body unstable and [making me] fall on top of my opponent.
“At that moment I hit my face against the player, leaving a small bruise on my cheek and a strong pain in my teeth.”
Fifa’s Disciplinary Committee eventually handed the 27-year-old a heavy ban as they decided that his bite was “deliberate, intentional and without provocation”.
Suarez was handed a nine-game suspension from international football, while he was also barred from taking part in any kind of football-related activity (administrative, sports or any other) for a period of four months and fined £65,900.
The Uruguayan FA revealed immediately after Fifa’s decision was announced that it would appeal the ban.
