FIFA MULLS PUNISHMENT FOR SUAREZ
RIO DE JANEIRO — Uruguay star Luis Suarez might become just as awkward for FIFA to handle as he has been for rival teams at the World Cup.
Suarez should find out by Thursday what punishment he will serve for allegedly biting into the left shoulder of Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini in a crucial group-stage game Tuesday.
‘‘We have to resolve it either today or tomorrow,’’ Martin Hong, a member of the FIFA disciplinary panel, told reporters Wednesday. ‘‘It’s our duty to see justice done. We have to deal with it before [Uruguay’s] next game [in the round of 16 on Saturday against Colombia].’’
Suarez has hit a raw nerve at a tournament characterized by a high quality of football and entertainment. The consequences of his bite — just before Uruguay scored the clinching goal to eliminate four-time champion Italy — will test FIFA president Sepp Blatter’s often-stated commitment to ‘‘fair play, discipline, respect.’’
Blatter, who was in the crowd for the Uruguay-Italy match, previously has pledged a zero tolerance for the darker side of the game.
Many are questioning where that leaves a player such as Suarez, who has a history of disciplinary problems, including separate bans of seven and 10 matches for biting opponents in the Netherlands and England. He also faces losing income and reputation, with one sponsor reconsidering a recent deal with him.
In the early hours of Wednesday, FIFA announced it had opened a disciplinary case against Suarez. The case will be managed by Swiss lawyer Claudio Sulser, the chairman of the FIFA disciplinary committee. A former international forward himself, Sulser has worked for four years at FIFA, first as the head of its ethics court and now as the head of its disciplinary committee.