Matthias Hangst/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — Uruguayan soccer star Luis Suarez issued an apology on his Facebook and Twitter accounts today for biting an Italian defender at the World Cup that led to a four-month, nine-game ban.
Suarez posted images of a statement in English and Spanish that read, “After several days of being home with my family, I have had the opportunity to regain my calm and reflect about the reality of what occurred during the Italy-Uruguay match on 24 June 2014.”
Suarez has remained silent since the bizarre incident on June 24. On Thursday, FIFA announced the penalty against Suarez, which even Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini, who had been bitten, called harsh.
“I deeply regret what occurred,” Suarez wrote. “I apologize to Giorgio Chiellini and the entire football family. I vow to the public that there will never be another incident like Montevideo.”
Chiellini retweeted the statement this afternoon moments after Suarez posted it. He even responded on Twitter shortly after the Suarez posting, saying, “It’s all forgotten. I hope FIFA will reduce your suspension.”
Suarez’s biting stunt at the World Cup has already cost him an endorsement deal with poker brand 888. His team was eliminated from the World Cup over the weekend following a 2-0 loss to Colombia in the round of 16.
“Independent from the fallout and the contradicting declarations that have surfaced during these past days, all of which have been without the intention of interfering with the good performance of my national team, the truth is that my colleague Giorgio Chiellini suffered the physical result of a bite in the collision he suffered with me.”
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