It happened again. It is inexcusable. It could (many believe it should) cost Luis Suarez his career in soccer.
Look, from the angles we have now seen after the game, it is clear that Suarez bit Giorgio Chiellini on the shoulder with 10 minutes left of Uruguay’s 1-0 win over Italy.
Suarez, 27, has made this mistake twice before and he should be under the “three strikes and you’re out” rule. Seriously.
This has to happen. Suarez should not play any part in the rest of this World Cup, FIFA and the officials need to take a hard line approach and ban this man from playing soccer. He clearly needs helps in sorting out anger issues and whatever else is going on in his head.
[ RELATED: PHOTO - Suarez bites Chiellini ]
[ RELATED: Suarez reaction on Twitter ]
[ RELATED: Where does Suarez’s bite rank in WC’s most shocking moments? ]
He was banned in 2010 for seven matches in Holland after biting an opponent whilst playing for Ajax. In 2013 he was banned for biting Branislav Ivanovic and was handed a 10-game suspension that almost ruined his career with Liverpool. Now the punishment should be even more severe... 15, 20, 25 games?
Some would say that is not harsh enough and that Suarez shouldn’t be allowed to play the game ever again. After this incident, it is hard to disagree.
My suggestion: give him a year-long ban.
He needs to step away from the spotlight, get help and sort out his issues. Once and for all. He is a wonderful player, as he has already shown by demolishing England with two goals in this World Cup. However, in what world do we live in where someone can go around and bite another person on three separate occasions and think they can keep getting away with it? In any other walk of life, Suarez would be facing police action. His personality is flawed, his reputation has been tarnished and all of that talk surrounding his “revival” during his breakout season as the Premier League’s Player of the Season with Liverpool in 2013-14 makes this latest discrepancy even worse.
What does this mean for Uruguay if Suarez is banned for the rest of the World Cup?
They are done. Finished. Gone. Even though he didn’t score vs. Italy, Suarez was the main threat and was thwarted by Buffon twice and caused plenty of problems. His strike partner Edinson Cavani continues to underwhelm and Uruguay have only beaten two pretty poor teams in Italy and England.
They will struggle past the last 16 stage without Suarez.
With Suarez up top they had a chance of recreating their run to the final four of a World Cup, just like they did in 2010. With this latest biting incident Suarez has let down himself, his family, his country and not for the first time.
But, it could be the last.