Suarez: ‘Worse than Tyson and the return of Dracula’
Fifa opens disciplinary proceedings against Uruguay striker Luis Suarez after Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini accused him of biting. Here is how the world reacted to his latest “bite.”
Reactions were mixed in Uruguay on Tuesday night after Suarez appeared to bite an opponent in a World Cup game against Italy. It came about the 80th minute, when Suarez and Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini got tangled up in front of the Italy goal.
Italian reaction
The referee didn’t see a bite, and no foul was called, despite the Italian player pleading and pulling down his jersey to show a red mark on his shoulder. About a minute later, Uruguay scored the winning goal in a 1-0 game that sent Italy home.
The apparent chomp happened in an instant, but caught by television cameras, it became a worldwide sensation and could lead to Suarez being kicked out of the Cup.
The Italian sports paper Gazzetta dello Sport reported on Italy’s exit from the World Cup with mixed feelings. “Italia fuori, fra morsi e rimorsi,” in English: “Italy out, between bites and remorse.”
Other headlines included: “Suarez, worse than Tyson,” making reference to boxer Mike Tyson, who once famously bit off a piece of Evander Holyfield’s right ear. And “Suarez, Dracula strikes back.”
Social media
No sooner had Suarez appeared to have taken a ‘bite’ out of Chiellini’s shoulder, social media was already sinking its teeth into the Uruguay striker.
Let’s see some biting memes!! #worldcup #suarez pic.twitter.com/hV8o68HSv3
— ChristopherDReed (@Chrisreed619) June 24, 2014
Suarez ready for the next match: pic.twitter.com/BjXrZ5lXDC
— Graham Farmelo (@grahamfarmelo) June 24, 2014
luis Suarez has a nasty habit of biting his opponents, maybe he needs a deterrent… pic.twitter.com/C2z2XPtHLj
— â?¼â?¡â?â??â?â?? (@abbeylinegold) June 25, 2014
Here is a collection of our best Luis Suarez biting pictures: http://t.co/qQlHbmDYpc #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/ssPfQ5je0L
— KorkedBats.com (@korkedbats) June 25, 2014
Italian football roster according to #Suarez #WorldCup #LOL pic.twitter.com/ivjY8m90vr
— Maja Jelic (@thisismaja) June 24, 2014
Big macs
Companies, including McDonalds and Snickers, also jumped on the story to do real-time social media promos.
Hola @luis16suarez, si te quedaste con hambre vení a darle un mordisco a una BigMac ;)
— McDonald’s Uruguay (@McDonalds_Uy) June 24, 2014
Hey @luis16suarez. Next time you’re hungry just grab a Snickers. #worldcup #luissuarez #EatASNICKERS pic.twitter.com/3RAO537HjW
— SNICKERS® (@SNICKERS) June 24, 2014
#Fifa #WorldCup World Cup #Suarez #biting #FifaWorldCup #Italian #Chiellini #Apple
Dear Suarez, your teeth are a… pic.twitter.com/XZpYDb1p8V
— FIFA World Cup 2014 (@iFifaWorIdCup) June 25, 2014
Betting
Finally, a football fan won £500 after betting on Suarez to bite somebody at the World Cup. The punter from Norway placed a £3 bet on the striker to take a munch out of somebody in Brazil.
One winner, from Sweden, bet £7 that Suarez would bite, and the 23-year-old substitute teacher is now set for a payout of £1,225 for his wager.
Wow. A Norwegian put a bet on Suárez biting an opponent @ 175 lol pic.twitter.com/5PEq3dmXjZ
— 90th Min (@90thMin) June 24, 2014