adminRIO DE JANEIRO. — Rocked by the Luis Suarez biting affair, Uruguay will attempt to make light of their star player’s absence when they tackle Colombia in the World Cup soccer’s last 16 today.
The match kicks-off at 10pm.
When Uruguay’s players should be focusing solely on the threat posed by James Rodriguez and his Colombia teammates, they instead find themselves under siege in the wake of one of the biggest World Cup scandals in recent memory.
Suarez was on Thursday handed a nine-match international ban and a four-month overall suspension for sinking his teeth into Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini’s left shoulder during Uruguay’s last group game.
It was the third time he has been found guilty of biting an opponent, after previous incidents with Ajax and Liverpool, but the heaviness of the punishment, which also saw him obliged to leave the team hotel, left all of Uruguay in shock.
The Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) immediately said they would appeal, while the country’s government was moved to describe Fifa’s punishment as “disproportionate”.
Journalists descended upon Uruguay’s training base in the northeast city of Natal on Thursday and while Suarez happily flashed a thumbs-up sign to photographers, his teammates have shown signs of exasperation.
Captain Diego Lugano snapped when asked about the incident in a press conference on Wednesday, slapping away questions on the subject by saying: “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The affair has distracted attention from Uruguay’s return to the Maracana, scene of their seismic win over Brazil in the decisive game of the last Brazilian World Cup in 1950. — AFP.
Online Reporter