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| A file picture dated 24 June 2014 of Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini (L) claiming he was bitten by Uruguay’s Luis Suarez during the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil |
Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini admires Uruguay forward Luis Suarez for biting him during a heated match at the 2014 World Cup, he said in his autobiography.
Suarez, who escaped punishment during the game, was later banned for four months plus nine internationals โ but Chiellini said he bore no grudge towards him.
โMalice is part of football, I wouldnโt call it illegitimate. To get past a rival you have to be smart,โ the Juventus captain said in the book โIo, Giorgioโ.
โI admire his cunning,โ he added. โIf he lost it, heโd become an ordinary forward.โ
Chiellini said nothing strange happened that day in the 2014 World Cup.
โI marked (Edinson) Cavani for most of the match, another guy who is difficult to mark and who we didnโt hold back against,โ he said.
โSuddenly I noticed that I had been bitten in the shoulder. It just happened, but thatโs his strategy in hand-to-hand combat and, if I may say so, itโs mine too. He and I are alike, and I like to take on attackers like him.โ
The match was goalless at the time of the incident but minutes after the incident, Uruguay snatched a 1-0 win which took them through to the round of 16 at Italyโs expense.
REUTERS
