Fifa have charged Uruguay striker Luis Suarez for biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini during the two sides' final 2014 World Cup Group D fixture at the Estadio Das Dunas in Natal.
Moments before Diego Godin grabbed the winner and booked Uruguay's place in the last sixteen of the competition, Suarez appeared to have attempted a head butt on Chiellini, with the ball nowhere in sight.
Later, replays and Chiellini's protest, which involved him showing his shoulder to the referee, revealed that the Liverpool striker had in fact bitten the Italian defender. Also, Suarez himself fell to the ground clutching his teeth after the incident.
Although the referee, who seemed to have missed the incident, did not take any action against Suarez during the match, Fifa have now confirmed that they have opened a disciplinary proceeding against the striker.
"FIFA can confirm that disciplinary proceedings have been opened against the player Luis Suarez of Uruguay following an apparent breach of art. 48 and/or art. 57 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ match Italy-Uruguay played on 24 June 2014," read a statement in Fifa's official website.
The statement further added that Suarez has until 25 June, 5pm (Brazil local time) to respond to the charge.
"The player and/or the Uruguayan FA are invited to provide with their position and any documentary evidence they deem relevant until 25 June 2014, 5pm, Brasilia time."
According to FIFA's disciplinary code, Suarez may be facing a maximum suspension of 24 matches or two years if found guilty of the charge.
However, the 27-year-old striker, who has already served lengthy suspensions after being found guilty of biting PSV's Ottman Bakkal and Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic in 2010 and 2013, tried to defend himself after the match.
"These situations happen on the pitch, we were both just inside the area, he struck me in the chest with his shoulder and he hit me in the eye as well. These are things that happen on the pitch and you shouldn't attach so much importance to them," Suarez told Uruguayan television.
Meanwhile Chiellini, who insists that Suarez bit him, feels that the referee did not have the courage to take action despite clearly seeing the whole incident.
"Suarez has bitten me and the referee saw it, but then there is the need to have the courage to take decisions. We will see if there is the courage to utilise the TV images to ban him," Chiellini told Sky Sports Italia.
