Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Luis Suárez bite: Suarez 'tried to bite' Giorgio Chiellini a year BEFORE he bit Italian defender during 2014 World Cup

The pair clashed during a match between Uruguay and Italy at the 2013 Confederations Cup

Jack de Menezes
Thursday 26 June 2014 15:12 BST
Comments
Suarez can be seen trying to bite Chiellini's shoulder during the match
Suarez can be seen trying to bite Chiellini's shoulder during the match (Getty Images)

Luis Suarez was accused of biting an opponent for the third time after he clashed with Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini, but pictures have emerged that appear to show Suarez trying to taking a chunk out of the same opponent a year earlier.

Uruguay and Italy met in the 2013 Confederation Cup – also held in Brazil as a precursor to this year’s World Cup – in a play-off for third place, which Italy would go on to win on penalties after the score was level at 2-2 after 120 minutes.

But it appears that during the game, Suarez was dangerously close to biting Chiellini on his right shoulder, the opposite on to which he is accused of biting on Tuesday night.

Video: Luis Suarez bites Giorgio Chiellini at World Cup

The Italian defender had kept Suarez out of reach of the ball before clearing it, but Suarez appeared to let his angry streak get the better of him as he attempted to bite Chiellini, who responded in an equally aggressive fashion as he did in Natal yesterday evening.

Suarez can be seen trying to bite Chiellini's shoulder during the match (Getty Images)
Chiellini confronts Suarez after his apparent 'bite' attempt (Getty Images)

Neither Suarez nor Chiellini were sanctioned by referee Marco Rodriguez, but he could yet be banned for the rest of the World Cup after Uruguay secured the 1-0 win they needed to reach the second round and knock Italy out of the 2014 World Cup.

Suarez will face a disciplinary case held by Fifa, in which he could be handed anything from a two-match ban to a 24-game suspension or a two-year ban, which is the maximum the governing body can slap on a player.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in