Italy's Giorgio Chiellini: Luis Suarez's ban for biting 'excessive'
Italian soccer player Giorgio Chiellini says Luis Suarez's ban for biting him on his shoulder during their World Cup match against Uruguay was "excessive" and that Suarez was harshly punished by FIFA.
FIFA banned Suarez from all football activities and stadiums for four months, fined and suspended him from Uruguay's next nine international matches after biting Chiellini's left shoulder during a 1-0 win against Italy on Tuesday.
"I don't have any feelings of joy, revenge or anger towards Suarez for an incident which happened on the field and finished there," Chiellini said on his website. "I'm just angry and disappointed about losing the game. At the moment, my only thoughts are with Luis and his family because they're faced with a very difficult period."
Suarez has now been banned three times for biting an opponent, following incidents in the Dutch and English soccer leagues. Uruguay's football federation said it plans to appeal Suarez's suspension.
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More from Chiellini:
"I have always considered unequivocal the disciplinary interventions by the competent bodies, but at the same time I believe that the proposed formula is excessive. I sincerely hope that he will be allowed, at least, to stay close to his team mates during the games because such a ban is really alienating for a player," Chiellini said.
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