Uruguay striker Luis Suarez is at the centre of another biting storm after appearing to sink his teeth into the shoulder of Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini during the teams’ decisive World Cup Group D game on Wednesday morning.
Suarez and Chiellini clashed in the Italian penalty area 10 minutes from the end of the match and the furious Italian pulled open his shirt to show the mark to the referee.
Reuters photographs show what appeared to be bite marks on his shoulder and pictures also showed Suarez sitting on the ground holding his teeth immediately after the incident.
The Italians were still complaining about it when Diego Godin scored with an 81st-minute header to secure a 1-0 win that sent Uruguay into the second round and eliminated Italy.
“It was ridiculous not to send Suarez off,” Chiellini told Rai TV.
“It is clear, clear-cut and then there was the obvious dive afterwards because he knew very well that he did something that he shouldn’t have done.”
FIFA officials say they are investigating Chiellini’s claim and will wait for match reports before deciding whether to take action against Suarez.
“We are awaiting the official match reports and will gather all the necessary elements in order to evaluate the matter,” a FIFA spokeswoman said.
Suarez shrugged off the claims, claiming Chiellini bumped him in the eye with his shoulder.
“These are just things that happen out on the pitch. It was just the two of us inside the area and he bumped into me with his shoulder, and that’s how my eye got like this as well,” he told Uruguayan television, pointing to his eye.
“There are things that happen on the pitch and you should not make such a big deal out of them.”