The Vampire in him is back; LUIS SUÁREZ FOOTBALL FUTURES SHAKY AFTER BITING AN ITALIAN DEFENDER, MIGHT FACES BAN

Luis Suárez was today charged with biting an opponent in a World Cup match - which could see him banned from football for up to two years if found guilty.

The Uruguayan forward is accused of sinking his jaws into the shoulder of Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini in Brazil, just 14 months after he had to apologise for doing the same thing in Britain.

Fifa’s disciplinary committee said this morning that it had opened proceedings against Liverpool player Suárez, and has asked his team to present evidence by 5pm local time (9pm BST) today.

A decision on whether he is guilty of 'assaulting an opponent' must be published before Saturday, when Uruguay play Colombia in a Round of 16 match. 

Fifa's rules state that any ban could apply to all football matches - both international and domestic.

 

He has done it befor; Suárez bit Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic in a Premier League match for Liverpool

The clash last night in the sweltering Arena das Dunas in Natal, Brazil, came in the final 15 minutes of a tense decisive match between Italy and Uruguay.

Both teams were fighting for qualification for the next round and the score still stood at 0-0 in the final minutes.

Then, 27-year-old Suárez clashed with Italy's Chiellini, 29, with live footage showing him lean his head towards his opponent's shoulder.

Both players fell to the ground with Suárez clutching his infamous teeth while Chiellini gesticulated furiously and pulled down his shirt to show the point of impact.

Close-up images appeared to show the imprints of at least five teeth on Chiellini's naked shoulder.

But Liverpool FC star Suárez was not handed a yellow or red card - and minutes after the confrontation Uruguay went 1-0 up, winning the match and qualifying for the knockout stages.

Chiellini, who plays for Italian team Juventus, reacted furiously after the final whistle and insisted he had been bitten.

He told Rai TV: 'It was ridiculous not to send Suárez off... It is clear, clear-cut and then there was the obvious dive afterwards because he knew very well that he did something that he shouldn’t have done.'

He continued, telling Sky Sports Italia: 'Suárez is a sneak and he gets away with it because Fifa want their stars to play in the World Cup.

'I'd love to see if they have the courage to use video evidence against him. The referee saw the bite mark too, but he did nothing about it.'

Suárez himself said after the game: 'These are things that happen on the pitch, we were both in the area, he thrust his shoulder into me.

The fierce clash came as the Arena das Dunas sizzled in temperatures of 33C and bright sunshine this evening.

Within minutes #Suarez was Britain's quickest-trending phrase on Twitter as fans reacted with a collective groan.

The incident sparked a storm of debate on social media including among England fans, whose team Suárez helped boot out of the World Cup last week.

Instantly there were memes of the outspoken player concealed behind a dogs' veterinary collar, vampire fangs and a Hannibal Lecter-style mask.

BBC radio commentator Conor McNamara claimed journalists from Uruguay were laughing and making pretend bite gestures in the stadium. 

But English pundits were less impressed. Former England winger Chris Waddle said on BBC Radio 5 Live: ‘Luis Suárez has to be severely punished.’ 

Pundit and ex-England player Danny Mills said: ‘Three strikes, you have to be out. Biting someone at a tournament of this prestige, they have to throw the book at him and lock him up forever.’

Thousands of disgusted Twitter users called for Suárez to be banned from football. Former England defender Rio Ferdinand said: ‘Tell me Suárez didn’t eat someone. He was the hero a couple of days ago.’ 

Others asked if he thought he was ‘playing for Hungary’.

Any action would depend on Fifa judging the case using video evidence, which its President Sepp Blatter is on record this year as supporting.

For now, the future of Suárez at the World Cup depends on the report of Mexican referee Marco Rodriguez, who appeared not to have seen or realized the severity of the incident.

There was anger at the apparent omission from Italy fans, as their team had already been down to 10 men after midfielder Claudio Marchisio was handed a red card in the 59th minute.

Just 14 months ago Suárez spent 10 matches on the bench and apologised for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic in a 2-2 draw between Liverpool and Chelsea.

'I am deeply sorry for my inexcusable behaviour earlier today during our match against Chelsea,' he said at the time.

Suárez has twice been banned for biting opponents. The first time was in 2010, when he was given a seven-game ban while playing for Ajax for biting PSV Eindhoven's Otman Bakkal.

Italy needed only a draw to advance through to the knock-out stages in last night's match, while Uruguay needed a win to reach the last 16.

Both sides had chances from free kicks early on.

Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon punched away the danger following an effort from Suárez after seven minutes, while Uruguay counterpart Fernando Muslera tipped over a shot directly on goal from Andrea Pirlo in the 12th.

Italy controlled much of the half with its passing accuracy in midfield while Uruguay relied on swift counterattacks and even attempted to surprise Buffon with shots from its own half.

Suárez also had an angled effort smothered by Buffon in the 33rd and a rebound effort from Nicolas Lodeiro was also stopped by the Italy captain.