Julian Finney/Getty Images; AP Photo/Hassan AmmarUPDATE: Chiellini has accepted Suárez's apology via Twitter. ".@luis16suarez It's all forgotten. I hope FIFA will reduce your suspension," he wrote.
Just four days after his four-month ban from any "football related activities," Luis "The Cannibal" Suárez has issued an apology after biting his Italian oponent.
The Uruguayan striker, who has previously bitten players three times during his career, was accused of biting Italy's Giorgio Chiellini during Tuesday's World Cup match between Italy and Uruguay.
The FIFA disciplinary committee investigated the incident last week and announced on Thursday that Suárez will be suspended for nine official matches. He is also "prohibited from entering the confines of any stadium during the period of the ban" and he has been ordered to pay a fine of 100,000 Swiss francs—approximately $111,801.
And while he originally told FIFA that there "in no way was there any case of biting or intending to bite," it seems that Suárez has (sort of) changed his tune.
In a lengthy Twitter post titled "My apologies to Chiellini," the 27-year-old athlete writes:
Following Suárez's four-month football ban, FIFA issued a statement regarding their decision.
"Such behaviour cannot be tolerated on any football pitch, and in particular not at a FIFA World Cup when the eyes of millions of people are on the stars on the field. The Disciplinary Committee took into account all the factors of the case and the degree of Mr Suárez's guilt in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Code. The decision comes into force as soon it is communicated," Claudio Sulser, chairman of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, said.
The president of the Uruguay Football Association has since announced the organization's plans to appeal the ban.