The penalty of Suarez biting..UPDATE Suarez admits to biting Italian

[Blanco]

I can't stand the amount of support he's getting from Uruguay. And Maradona! What the hell is he poking his nose in for? Suarez is obviously a horrible bloke and deserved a harsher fine. Lugano, Maradona etc saying its unjust and that the world isn't fair just baffles me. Say if Sturridge bit someone there is no way we would support and condone his actions. Yet alone if he did it three times! They don't seem to realise that he's let his country down by not being there to play for them. Idiots.

[YankeeJim]

So, for a third biting offence he gets a ban of just 4 mths; that is approx 16.6% of the maximum penalty available to FIFA.  My question therefore is - what would a player have to do to cop the maximum 2 yr ban? Commit premeditated murder on the pitch?

No, he wouldn't have to murder, he'd just have to play for a second tier team. No one from the top 4/5 would get a harsh penalty.

[bobbo]

I 've not been on here for a while but just looking this evening I'm so glad all fulham fans seem to agree it's not a long enough ban,you're all correct it should ( and I thought it would have been ) a lot longer.gary linekers comments got it spot on he - Suarez - needs help it's obviously some mental condition,put into prospective 2 young lads 18 and 22 got a two year ban by the fa for having a flutter on their level of footbal (Southern league) how does that work

[Jamie88]

So because Suarez didn't go to university, he thought chomping lumps out a fellow professional was normal. Thanks for your perpetual wisdom Maradona.

[Forever Fulham]

What a lynch mob mentality!  I think some of things Shawcross has done on the field over many years have been far worse than anything done by Suarez.  How many goals did Suarez score last season?  How many assists.  How much scintillating and exciting football did he produce while the "normal" mids and forwards languished?  Chiellini is the worst of the worst.  He's a despicable whiner and rules bender.  If someone with character I could trust said, "He bit me," it would carry more weight with me.  But Chiellini is a cynical cheat.  The score was tied 0-0 at, what, the 79th minute (something like that).  Italy about to be sent packing.  Motive to say he was bitten?  Sure enough.  Now, maybe Chiellini was head-butted by Suarez, bucktoothed in extremis.  But I still don't see visual evidence of a bite.  Upper teeth marks, perhaps.  Skin didn't appear to be  broken in any event.  Chiellini did what he always does: Make a meal out of it.  :)     I respect all of your opinions, but I maintain the league would be poorer without Suarez.  No one got shot, stabbed, or had their parentage questioned.  He's a little frantic at times, but I believe he has tried to make amends and get it under control.  One of the greatest players I've ever seen--certainly the best dribbler I've ever seen --Zinedine Zidane--headbutted Matterazzi (another cynical cheat and scoundrel like Chiellini) a few World Cups ago, remember?  Materrazi said some very vile things to him over the course of the game, and, well, Zidane lost it, and let him have it.  I don't recall anyone screaming for his head.  Was it because the Italian was talking bad about Zidane's sister, and we all empathized with his reaction, in spite of the harm it caused the French team, and the harm it could have caused the Italian?  I just think there's some collective subjectivity going on here for appropriate punishment  that needs to be re-examined.  

[RidgeRider]

What a lynch mob mentality!  I think some of things Shawcross has done on the field over many years have been far worse than anything done by Suarez.  How many goals did Suarez score last season?  How many assists.  How much scintillating and exciting football did he produce while the "normal" mids and forwards languished?  Chiellini is the worst of the worst.  He's a despicable whiner and rules bender.  If someone with character I could trust said, "He bit me," it would carry more weight with me.  But Chiellini is a cynical cheat.  The score was tied 0-0 at, what, the 79th minute (something like that).  Italy about to be sent packing.  Motive to say he was bitten?  Sure enough.  Now, maybe Chiellini was head-butted by Suarez, bucktoothed in extremis.  But I still don't see visual evidence of a bite.  Upper teeth marks, perhaps.  Skin didn't appear to be  broken in any event.  Chiellini did what he always does: Make a meal out of it.  :)     I respect all of your opinions, but I maintain the league would be poorer without Suarez.  No one got shot, stabbed, or had their parentage questioned.  He's a little frantic at times, but I believe he has tried to make amends and get it under control.  One of the greatest players I've ever seen--certainly the best dribbler I've ever seen --Zinedine Zidane--headbutted Matterazzi (another cynical cheat and scoundrel like Chiellini) a few World Cups ago, remember?  Materrazi said some very vile things to him over the course of the game, and, well, Zidane lost it, and let him have it.  I don't recall anyone screaming for his head.  Was it because the Italian was talking bad about Zidane's sister, and we all empathized with his reaction, in spite of the harm it caused the French team, and the harm it could have caused the Italian?  I just think there's some collective subjectivity going on here for appropriate punishment  that needs to be re-examined.  

It's fine to be 'a contrarian' of sorts, but to ignore video evidence that all the world has seen..........sorry don't mean to be rude or disrespectful but I'm not swayed in the slightest by anything you have written here.

[Jambo]

im astonished by any support shown for suarez and quite frankly i dont think 4 months is enough.  He bloody bit someone..... for the third time!!!  ive played 100's of games of football and been kicked and wound up in many but never occured to me to bite another human.  its got nothing to do with the damaged caused so comparing it to a thug like shawcross doesnt make sense.  its the act itself thats the problem, tyson was banned for a year and fined 3m dollars for biting and that was a first offense!

[ron]

..... its sickening how much more important money is to people.....

In fact, it's the same the world over, and is legacy of who writes the laws of a country. Parliaments and Judiciaries who frame the laws are, by and large, insulated from day to day violence in their enclaves, and so crimes against the person are not as familiar to them as the thought of losing wealth.

The upshot is that theft of wealth is punished by long jail terms, so that the thieves have paid in full before they come out to enjoy the fruits of their crime if it has been stashed away. Pity the victims of violence of all sorts....the judges and magistrates don't have much experience of it to care.  

[Blanco]

What a lynch mob mentality!  I think some of things Shawcross has done on the field over many years have been far worse than anything done by Suarez.  How many goals did Suarez score last season?  How many assists.  How much scintillating and exciting football did he produce while the "normal" mids and forwards languished?  Chiellini is the worst of the worst.  He's a despicable whiner and rules bender.  If someone with character I could trust said, "He bit me," it would carry more weight with me.  But Chiellini is a cynical cheat.  The score was tied 0-0 at, what, the 79th minute (something like that).  Italy about to be sent packing.  Motive to say he was bitten?  Sure enough.  Now, maybe Chiellini was head-butted by Suarez, bucktoothed in extremis.  But I still don't see visual evidence of a bite.  Upper teeth marks, perhaps.  Skin didn't appear to be  broken in any event.  Chiellini did what he always does: Make a meal out of it.  :)     I respect all of your opinions, but I maintain the league would be poorer without Suarez.  No one got shot, stabbed, or had their parentage questioned.  He's a little frantic at times, but I believe he has tried to make amends and get it under control.  One of the greatest players I've ever seen--certainly the best dribbler I've ever seen --Zinedine Zidane--headbutted Matterazzi (another cynical cheat and scoundrel like Chiellini) a few World Cups ago, remember?  Materrazi said some very vile things to him over the course of the game, and, well, Zidane lost it, and let him have it.  I don't recall anyone screaming for his head.  Was it because the Italian was talking bad about Zidane's sister, and we all empathized with his reaction, in spite of the harm it caused the French team, and the harm it could have caused the Italian?  I just think there's some collective subjectivity going on here for appropriate punishment  that needs to be re-examined.  

I find it astonishing that people can defend Suarez and claim that he didn't bite Chiellini. The video evidence is there and to say it isn't is madness. You can clearly see Suarez chomping down on his shoulder and the teeth marks afterwards. The depth of the bite means nothing! It's the action of biting a fellow professional. Chiellini did hit the floor pretty quick but he was bitten for christ sake! That is something pretty unexpected in a football match. You shouldn't be examining him for this but the animal that bit him. Suarez is obviouslt a great player and probably the premier leagues best last season but that doesn't excuse his behaviour. He's a nasty piece of work that constantly feels sorry for himself.

Now, please watch this video and try to come back with a clever response.

https://vine.co/v/MtghFjrFzlI

[Forever Fulham]

I don't have a clever response, and I'm not trying to be his apologist.  Chellini is moving away from him, and Suarez, I think, is trying to butt him nonetheless.  Try to bite someone as they have their back to you and are moving away from you.  It's damn near impossible to do.  In the video clip you provide, I can see a momentary lowering of Suarez's face as he presses forward at a retreating Chellini.  You can't see an isolated uppers and lowers bite impression in Chellini's shoulder in this grainy video.  You CAN see what appear to be upper teeth marks (no skin broken) only, in another video circulating about.  I don't want to be pilloried, so I'll withdraw.  But I'm keeping an open mind for now.  There won't likely be any further better evidence surfacing, so I think FIFA's determination will stand.  Again, Shawcross put players out of commission for months on end.  No one was screaming for HIS head.  Is he not a repeat offender?  Some moral relativism is needed.  I've taken no joy, no excitement in watching Ryan Shawcross play the game.  Suarez has wowed me, amazed me, and gotten me out of my chair at times.  As much as I don't like biting, spitting, or head butting, I think he is a special talent, so I am a bit conflicted, ok?  Can't help it.  And since it was Chellini doing all the whining and posturing, I am naturally skeptical as to what, exactly, happened.  I'll say no more on it.

[Twig]

What a lynch mob mentality!  I think some of things Shawcross has done on the field over many years have been far worse than anything done by Suarez.  How many goals did Suarez score last season?  How many assists.  How much scintillating and exciting football did he produce while the "normal" mids and forwards languished?  Chiellini is the worst of the worst.  He's a despicable whiner and rules bender.  If someone with character I could trust said, "He bit me," it would carry more weight with me.  But Chiellini is a cynical cheat.  The score was tied 0-0 at, what, the 79th minute (something like that).  Italy about to be sent packing.  Motive to say he was bitten?  Sure enough.  Now, maybe Chiellini was head-butted by Suarez, bucktoothed in extremis.  But I still don't see visual evidence of a bite.  Upper teeth marks, perhaps.  Skin didn't appear to be  broken in any event.  Chiellini did what he always does: Make a meal out of it.  :)     I respect all of your opinions, but I maintain the league would be poorer without Suarez.  No one got shot, stabbed, or had their parentage questioned.  He's a little frantic at times, but I believe he has tried to make amends and get it under control.  One of the greatest players I've ever seen--certainly the best dribbler I've ever seen --Zinedine Zidane--headbutted Matterazzi (another cynical cheat and scoundrel like Chiellini) a few World Cups ago, remember?  Materrazi said some very vile things to him over the course of the game, and, well, Zidane lost it, and let him have it.  I don't recall anyone screaming for his head.  Was it because the Italian was talking bad about Zidane's sister, and we all empathized with his reaction, in spite of the harm it caused the French team, and the harm it could have caused the Italian?  I just think there's some collective subjectivity going on here for appropriate punishment  that needs to be re-examined. 

What nonsense.  Whether Saurez has scored great goals or has been a total donkey is irrelevant.  On the basis of your reasoning if an inexperienced youngster or a jobbing pro had done the same they should receive a  greater punishment.  That is perfectly ridiculous.

[Jamie88]

I don't have a clever response, and I'm not trying to be his apologist.  Chellini is moving away from him, and Suarez, I think, is trying to butt him nonetheless.  Try to bite someone as they have their back to you and are moving away from you.  It's damn near impossible to do.  In the video clip you provide, I can see a momentary lowering of Suarez's face as he presses forward at a retreating Chellini.  You can't see an isolated uppers and lowers bite impression in Chellini's shoulder in this grainy video.  You CAN see what appear to be upper teeth marks (no skin broken) only, in another video circulating about.  I don't want to be pilloried, so I'll withdraw.  But I'm keeping an open mind for now.  There won't likely be any further better evidence surfacing, so I think FIFA's determination will stand.  Again, Shawcross put players out of commission for months on end.  No one was screaming for HIS head.  Is he not a repeat offender?  Some moral relativism is needed.  I've taken no joy, no excitement in watching Ryan Shawcross play the game.  Suarez has wowed me, amazed me, and gotten me out of my chair at times.  As much as I don't like biting, spitting, or head butting, I think he is a special talent, so I am a bit conflicted, ok?  Can't help it.  And since it was Chellini doing all the whining and posturing, I am naturally skeptical as to what, exactly, happened.  I'll say no more on it.

This is laughable....that video shows nothing but a great big bite from Suarez and it's literally unbelievable to me that someone can view it any differently. And as someone else has said, the fact that Suarez has entertained us as a footballer is completely irrelevant.

[Oakeshott]

I think the most interesting thing that arises from this incident will be to see what Liverpool FC now does. Is their desperation for S's future goals so great that they are prepared to continue to have someone with his history playing for them, or do they care more for their reputation? My money would be on the former.

[YankeeJim]

When I initially saw it, it looked like a bite. The telly showed it from several angles and than went back to the original in slow motion. You can see Suarez's jaw muscles tighten and his mouth come open. No doubt about it. Jaws has struck again.

[mungos beans]

Haha someone loves jaws on this mb.... truely amazed that someone sticks up for that utter pirck

[Logicalman]

I don't have a clever response, and I'm not trying to be his apologist.  Chellini is moving away from him, and Suarez, I think, is trying to butt him nonetheless.  Try to bite someone as they have their back to you and are moving away from you.  It's damn near impossible to do.  In the video clip you provide, I can see a momentary lowering of Suarez's face as he presses forward at a retreating Chellini.  You can't see an isolated uppers and lowers bite impression in Chellini's shoulder in this grainy video.  You CAN see what appear to be upper teeth marks (no skin broken) only, in another video circulating about.  I don't want to be pilloried, so I'll withdraw.  But I'm keeping an open mind for now.  There won't likely be any further better evidence surfacing, so I think FIFA's determination will stand.  Again, Shawcross put players out of commission for months on end.  No one was screaming for HIS head.  Is he not a repeat offender?  Some moral relativism is needed.  I've taken no joy, no excitement in watching Ryan Shawcross play the game.  Suarez has wowed me, amazed me, and gotten me out of my chair at times.  As much as I don't like biting, spitting, or head butting, I think he is a special talent, so I am a bit conflicted, ok?  Can't help it.  And since it was Chellini doing all the whining and posturing, I am naturally skeptical as to what, exactly, happened.  I'll say no more on it.

From all the 'evidence' I have seen, pics, slow-mos, etc, I am still of the opinion that he did bite the guy. Then again, I would submit that even if he didn't make the full molar contact, the intent is so obvious that its just as bad in either case.

As for Shawcross, I agree, I detest the guy ever since he broke Ramsey's leg, and then feigned crying as he walked off after getting the deserved red. The guy, as well as most of that team, are animals, and if Shawcross had done that challenge twice before in the space of 4 years, and then deliberately in the middle of the WCF, then a lengthy worldwide ban would be welcomed, but I will say that in no way do I feel that injury during a tackle, reckless or otherwise is in the same league as deliberately attacking a player to bite him. It beggers belief that a player would do such a thing, or anyone above the age of 5 would do such a thing at his or her place of work, as instant dismissal and criminal charges would surely follow.

[Logicalman]

Haha someone loves jaws on this mb.... truely amazed that someone sticks up for that utter pirck

Everyone has their own opinions, just as you do, so please debate the issue, not the poster. Thanks.

[nose]

two wrongs never made a right so they say
suarez deseved a far longer punishment
godin should have gone in the england game
chellini is no angel
BUT
what suarez di is obviously in a different league and deserves to be punished accordingly

FIFA made such an error with rivaldo and football still hasn't recovered so this at least is half a step back in the correct direction.

[Nero]

I don't have a clever response, and I'm not trying to be his apologist.  Chellini is moving away from him, and Suarez, I think, is trying to butt him nonetheless.  Try to bite someone as they have their back to you and are moving away from you.  It's damn near impossible to do.  In the video clip you provide, I can see a momentary lowering of Suarez's face as he presses forward at a retreating Chellini.  You can't see an isolated uppers and lowers bite impression in Chellini's shoulder in this grainy video.  You CAN see what appear to be upper teeth marks (no skin broken) only, in another video circulating about.  I don't want to be pilloried, so I'll withdraw.  But I'm keeping an open mind for now.  There won't likely be any further better evidence surfacing, so I think FIFA's determination will stand.  Again, Shawcross put players out of commission for months on end.  No one was screaming for HIS head.  Is he not a repeat offender?  Some moral relativism is needed.  I've taken no joy, no excitement in watching Ryan Shawcross play the game.  Suarez has wowed me, amazed me, and gotten me out of my chair at times.  As much as I don't like biting, spitting, or head butting, I think he is a special talent, so I am a bit conflicted, ok?  Can't help it.  And since it was Chellini doing all the whining and posturing, I am naturally skeptical as to what, exactly, happened.  I'll say no more on it.

From all the 'evidence' I have seen, pics, slow-mos, etc, I am still of the opinion that he did bite the guy. Then again, I would submit that even if he didn't make the full molar contact, the intent is so obvious that its just as bad in either case.

As for Shawcross, I agree, I detest the guy ever since he broke Ramsey's leg, and then feigned crying as he walked off after getting the deserved red. The guy, as well as most of that team, are animals, and if Shawcross had done that challenge twice before in the space of 4 years, and then deliberately in the middle of the WCF, then a lengthy worldwide ban would be welcomed, but I will say that in no way do I feel that injury during a tackle, reckless or otherwise is in the same league as deliberately attacking a player to bite him. It beggers belief that a player would do such a thing, or anyone above the age of 5 would do such a thing at his or her place of work, as instant dismissal and criminal charges would surely follow.

What I find funny is a person is trying to defend the cheat by saying he was trying to head butt the guy and not bite him,  they are as bad as each other a head butt could have broken the blokes jaw or even fracture his skull so could said to be worse then biting.

[K33NY]

I love Suarez's new explanation on this xD I read today that the new statement from him was " I fell with my mouth open, hitting him from behind " xD