Luis Suarez 'showed no remorse' says Fifa as striker claims he lost his balance and didn't bite
Fifa says severity of punishment is because Liverpool star has not learned from previous bans; Uruguay continue to back their man
Fifa opted to punish Luis Suarez heavily for biting an opponent in a World Cup match because the Uruguayan showed no remorse for the incident and previous bans had not changed his behaviour, according to a report released by world football's governing body.
In his statement to Fifa's disciplinary committee, the Liverpool striker maintained he had lost his balance and did not intentionally bite Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini in the incident in last Tuesday's group D game, which Italy lost.
Suarez was hit on Thursday with a nine-game suspension on playing competitive matches for Uruguay and a four-month ban from any football-related activity, a record punishment for a player at a World Cup.
The decision prompted fury in the South American nation at the scale of the punishment for Suarez, who was given a hero's welcome on his return to Montevideo on Friday after his expulsion from the tournament.
I lost my balance and ended up falling on my opponent. At that moment, my face hit the player, leaving a small bruise and sharp pain in the teeth
Yesterday, ahead of Uruguay's last-16 game against Colombia in the Maracana stadium, the Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) notified the governing body Fifa that it intends to appeal against the punishment.