Luis Suarez bite: From predictable to bizarre
Uruguay's star striker has been reduced to a punchline
With one chomp star striker Luis Suarez has gone from Uruguay’s shining light to a punchline.
Let’s face it, Suarez bit Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini on Tuesday. And FIFA is making him pay, suspending him for nine matches and fining him 100,000 Swiss francs.
The developing news surrounding Suarez ranges from predictable to downright bizarre. Here's a quick roundup:
1. It began as Uruguay was a few moments from taking a 1-0 lead en route to a knockout victory of Italy in Group D on Tuesday. Reaction to Suarez’s bite of Chiellini was quick.
- Comments flooded Twitter, with memes posted at an intense rate.
- Cries for FIFA to suspend Suarez were overwhelming. In fact, of the more than 40,000 votes in a CBC Sports poll, 77 per cent that responded want Suarez banned for the rest of the tournament.
- Two of Suarez's sponsors — 888poker and Adidas — have hinted that they may re-examine their deals with Uruguay's star.
- For their part, teammates and coaches are defending Suarez.
2. A day after the game, FIFA announced that its disciplinary committee had opened proceedings against Suarez. He was involved in two prior biting incidents, which was enough to convince more than 150 people across Europe to place a bet that he would do it again.
3. While novice soccer observers watched the replays of Suarez's bite in compete amazement, others simply wrote it's par for the course.
- CBC Radio's Scott Regehr dug into his archives where he wrote Suarez’s antics could be a major headache for the star and Uruguay.
- In the end, no matter what the outcome of FIFA’s investigation reveals, CBC News senior producer Andrew Davidson says that Uruguay's ever-mystifying striker could have emerged as Brazil tournament's star, but will now leave a bitey chipmunk. He also earns a place among other notable players on the World Cup Hall of Shame list.