888 Poker have released an official statement revealing that they had ‘regrettably’ terminated their relationship with Suarez following his actions in the Italy v Uruguay game earlier this week.
In case you’ve been living under a rock since Tuesday afternoon, you’ll be well aware of the actions they speak of, namely Suarez’s alleged bite on Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini that has earned him a nine-match international suspension and a four month ban from all footballing activities.
A number of sponsors associated with Suarez announced that they would be reviewing their relationship in the aftermath of what was a third biting incident involving the Uruguayan striker but 888 Poker are the first to take any meaningful action, deciding to terminate their relationship with immediate effect.
A statement released by the betting firm this morning read: “888poker signed Luis Suarez following a fantastic season for which his achievements were widely recognised.
“Regrettably, following his actions during Uruguay’s World Cup match against Italy on Tuesday, 888poker has decided to terminate its relationship with Luis Suarez with immediate effect.”
The football community in Uruguay have staunchly defended Suarez since the incident and yesterday confirmed that they intend to appeal what they view as a very harsh punishment by FIFA.
UAF President Wilmar Valdez said that the ban was “excessive and severe” and said that it felt as if Uruguay had “been thrown out of the World Cup” despite qualifying for a last 16 clash with Colombia tomorrow night.
“We are preparing our appeal now, we have three days to do it,” said Valdez.
“It is an excessive decision and there was not enough evidence and I have seen more aggressive incidents recently.
“It's feels like Uruguay has been thrown out of the World Cup. We all know what Suarez means to Uruguay and to football around the world - not having Suarez would be a loss to any team.”
