First off, I should probably set a few things straight. Luis Suarez is definitely guilty of biting Giorgio Chiellini, with the evidence insurmountable.
Suarez denied biting his opponent, inviting derision when he explained;
"After the impact … I lost my balance, making my body unstable and falling on top of my opponent”.
Yeah, okay then Luis. If you say so.
However, the incident also landed FIFA in an uncomfortable position. The problem is, Suarez has previous for biting, leaving footballs governing body with no choice but to throw the book at him - so they did the right thing and banned him for four months.
The thing is, FIFA aren't exactly a squeaky clean organisation themselves, with allegations of corruption and bribery never too far away from its halls. Of course Suarez is guilty,but is FIFA truly fit to be his judge?
Uruguay manager Oscar Tabarez criticised the ban, calling the 9-match suspension "excessive", while some of Suarez's team-mates questioned the English media's role in the coverage as well as the aftermath.
There's no doubting that the English media latched onto the story, as it lessened the blow of the national team going out earlier in the day, but nobody forced Suarez to bare his teeth during an important World Cup match.
FIFA had to make the call with Suarez, but that doesn't mean that they were fit to do so. Their morals and ethics have been questioned a lot by the media recently, with the 2022 Qatar World Cup drawing even the sponsors to question their decision making abilities, (1) so maybe they thought giving Suarez an "excessive" punishment would show that they don't let rule-breaking slide.
The timing of the bite was also helpful for FIFA, as sports websites and pages around the world focused on Suarez's moment of madness.
After the dust dies down, a few things will be certain. Suarez will be banned, and sure, England are out, but there will still be something fishy going on with FIFA. The 2014 World Cup will be remembered for Suarez, but FIFA should be more worried about 2022.
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