Montevideo: From the president down to football players and fans, Uruguayans rallied behind Luis Suarez on Wednesday as their controversial hero was ousted from World Cup for biting an opponent. Fifa has slapped a nine-match ban and a heavy financial penalty for the offence.
On social networks and in the streets, the volatile 27-year-old’s compatriots played down the incident with Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini.
“I did not see him bite anyone. But they give each other so many kicks and blows and normally they put up with it,” President Jose Mujica told reporters, describing Suarez as “an excellent player.”
But some reactions were also tinged with regret, shame, anger and fear that the fallout from the Fifa punishment would deprive Uruguay of their best player for the rest of the World Cup.
Suarez bit Chiellini in Uruguay’s 1-0 victory over Italy on Tuesday, which eliminated the European team. It was his third biting offence since 2010.
Uruguay captain Diego Lugano lashed out at British media, saying it was “persecuting” the Liverpool striker — an argument echoed by many in the South American nation of three million.
“It wasn’t a bite, it was a headbutt,” supporter Noelia Tabarez said. “And we can only imagine what the other guy must have said to provoke him. They’re always testing Suarez to see how he’ll react.”
She was one of many to question the events in the Brazilian city of Natal, but even those who accepted that he had bitten Chiellini defended Suarez.
“He’s not going to stop being a hero because of one mistake,” said Santiago Campomar, 24.
But Alcides Ghiggia, who scored Uruguay’s World Cup-winning goal in Rio in the 1950 trophy match, said Suarez clearly needed help.
“This boy’s clearly not right in the head. That’s just not something you do on the pitch,” said Ghiggia. “He already did it before in England and now he’s done it again. It’s abnormal. It’s a football match — not a war or a fight.”
As Suarez’s Facebook profile filled with dozens of messages in English and Italian branding him a “cannibal,” other users rallied behind him.
“Be strong Luis. It’s clear they’re persecuting you,” said user Sandra. “You’re Uruguayan. We’re like a stone in the shoe. We bother people. We’re a small country but our people are big.”
Another user, Nestor, chimed in: “If the supposed bite had been by any other player, nobody would have spent even a second on it. The problem is that it’s Suarez.”
Others attacked the Italian team and the British press. Newspaper El Observador said that “the crazy Suarez is back,” but stood up for the Liverpool star. “This episode was all it took for the British media to eat up Luisito again,” it said.
Some Uruguayans hunted down examples of unpunished football transgressions in the past, others scrutinised Chiellini’s record for any evidence of misconduct.
