FIFA charges Luis Suarez for biting in World Cup

FIFA has officially charged Uruguay's Luis Suarez for biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini in the teams' World Cup match, a process that could lead to a suspension for Uruguay's best offensive player.

FIFA announced today that its disciplinary committee has opened proceedings against Suarez, just hours after the end of yesterday's match.

If the panel finds Suarez guilty of assaulting an opponent, FIFA rules call for a ban of at least two matches up to a maximum of 24 months.

FIFA asked the team to present evidence, which can include video recordings, by 2000 GMT today.

A decision must be published before Saturday, when Uruguay plays Colombia in a round-of-16 match at Maracana stadium.

Uruguay advanced by beating Italy 1-0 yesterday in Natal. One minute before the decisive goal, Suarez clashed with Chiellini and was caught by television cameras apparently biting his shoulder.

Match referee Marco Rodriguez of Mexico appeared not to see the incident and took no action.

Brazil's World Cup has been a high-scoring tournament featuring late goals, comebacks, full stadiums and underdog stories, but the bite has got much of the global attention yesterday.

Earlier in his career, the 27-year-old Suarez was suspended in the Netherlands and England for biting opponents. He didn't confirm or deny biting Chiellini, but said he was angry that the Italian defender had hit him in the eye during the game.

"These are things that happen on the pitch, we were both in the area, he thrust his shoulder into me," Suarez said in Spanish.

"These things happen on the pitch, and we don't have to give them so much (importance)."

FIFA's disciplinary panel "is responsible for sanctioning serious infringements which have escaped the match officials' attention," the governing body said in a statement.

"Any type of proof may be produced," FIFA noted, including "reports from referees, declarations from the parties and witnesses, material evidence, audio or video recordings."

FIFA set a World Cup precedent for using video review in 1994.

Then, in a quarterfinal, Italy defender Mauro Tassotti's elbow to the face of Spain's Luis Enrique escaped the referee's attention. FIFA later banned Tassotti for eight international matches.