Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler says the club could sell Luis Suarez as the fall-out of the Uruguayan’s latest bite scandal continued.
Suarez was last night awaiting confirmation his World Cup is over with FIFA poised to hand out a lengthy ban after he appeared to sink his teeth into Giorgio Chiellini’s shoulder as Uruguay sealed a place in the World Cup’s last 16 with a 1-0 win over Italy on Tuesday.
Fowler refused to defend Suarez, saying a man he had seen do so much good work had again shown his ugly side.
And he fears he may now be allowed to leave Liverpool, with Real Madrid and Barcelona reportedly keen on signing him.
“You can’t defend him,” the former Liverpool striker said.
“Off the pitch he’s an absolutely lovely fella. He does so much work for charity, does so much work in the community in Liverpool, and I love him as a player, but you cannot condone what he has done.
“When he gets on the pitch he just becomes a different person. “It’s a real, real tough predicament most Liverpool fans are in. They love him as a player, but he’s continually dragging the club’s name through the mud.
“It’s not right, especially after how they helped him last time. They tried to rehabilitate him. I wouldn’t be surprised if he went now.”
Suarez was charged by FIFA for breaching its disciplinary code in the immediate aftermath of the Italy match with an independent panel, chaired by Swiss lawyer Claudio Sulser, charged with deciding his fate.
The panel has a range of sanctions available, up to a 24-match ban or a two-year suspension from all football.
A worldwide ban would impact his playing for Liverpool but there is no precedent for such a sanction happening.
The case is expected to be dealt with swiftly and an outcome well ahead of Uruguay’s match with Colombia on Saturday, possibly even today (Thursday).
Suarez’s international captain Diego Lugano came to his defence yesterday when questioned about the incident. But bizarrely, in an exchange with the BBC, Lugano claimed Suarez had done nothing wrong and was the victim of a witch hunt led by the British media.
“What incident? I don’t know what incident you’re talking about,” said Lugano. “I don’t know what incident you’re talking about. Are you talking about the Premier League or the national team? Have you got something against Luis?
“The pictures don’t show anything,” the defender added.
“They show an approximation but nothing important.
“Everybody knows the British media have an issue with Suarez. It must sell newspapers in England.”
Suarez was absent from training on Wednesday, instead remaining at the hotel while his Uruguay team-mates began their preparations for Saturday’s last-16 tie
