Who Did Luis Suarez Kill? Angry Maradona Asks FIFA
Argentina legend Diego Maradona lashed out at FIFA over what he thought was a harsh ban on Luis Suarez and said the Uruguayan striker might as well have been handcuffed and sent to the notorious Guantanamo.
- Reuters
- Updated: June 27, 2014 10:56 PM IST
Diego Maradona has slammed FIFA for banishing Luis Suarez from the World Cup.
Maradona said: "World soccer's governing body might as well handcuff Suarez and lock him up in Guantanamo prison.
"Who did Suarez kill?" Maradona said. "This is football, this is contact... They may as well handcuff him and bring him to Guantanamo directly." (Read: Suarez Bite Victim Chiellini Feels Ban Excessive)
"He is totally distraught. He never thought the punishment would be so severe," said Alejandro Balbi, a member of the Uruguayan Football Association's board and Suarez's lawyer.
FIFA ruled that Suarez bit Chiellini during Uruguay's final group match on Tuesday, as his side knocked Italy out of the tournament with a 1-0 victory.
Suarez's ban is the longest ever imposed at a World Cup. It means he is unlikely to appear in competitive matches for his country until 2016 and he will also miss the first two months of the Premier League season in England.
Although it was the third time Suarez has been banned for biting, his team mates and most Uruguayans jumped to defend him, believing the punishment was excessive.
"There are different standards. That's what infuriates and hurts us most," Mujica said on Thursday night in an appearance on a TV show hosted by former Maradona, who also said FIFA had over-reacted.
Suarez had missed Uruguay's opening match of the tournament, a 3-1 defeat to Costa Rica, as he recovered from knee surgery but returned to score both goals in the side's 2-1 victory over England.