FOOTBALL’S governing body Fifa has opened disciplinary proceedings against Uruguay striker Luis Suarez over an alleged biting incident during the World Cup match against Italy.
Liverpool forward Suarez, 27, and the Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) have until 17:00 Brazilian time (21:00 BST) on Wednesday to provide evidence.
Suarez clashed with Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini during Tuesday's Group D game, which Uruguay won 1-0.
The referee took no action at the time.
The maximum ban Suarez could face if Fifa takes retrospective action is 24 matches or two years.
Suarez, who committed a handball on the line to stop Ghana from scoring at the 2010 World Cup, told Uruguayan television: "These are just things that happen out on the pitch. It was just the two of us inside the area and he bumped into me with his shoulder.
"There are things that happen on the pitch and you should not make such a big deal out of them."
Chiellini, 29, described Suarez as "a sneak".
He added: "I'd love to see if Fifa has the courage to use video evidence against him. The referee saw the bite mark, but he did nothing about it."
After the clash between the players, Suarez went to ground holding his mouth, apparently suggesting he had been elbowed.
As Chiellini ran after referee Marco Rodriguez, Uruguay forward Gaston Ramirez attempted to get the Juventus defender to cover his shoulder.
The incident happened shortly before Suarez's team-mate Diego Godin scored the only goal of the game.
Godin's winner means four-time champions Italy finish third in Group D at the 2014 Fifa World Cup, and exit before the knockout stages for the second finals in a row.
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