NATAL, June 25 — Luis Suarez yesterday shrugged off accusations that he bit Italian opponent Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup, saying “these things happen.”

The Uruguayan star did not explicitly confirm or deny that he bit the Italian in the match in Natal. But he told Uruguayan television that Chiellini had barged him during their clash in his country’s 1-0 victory that took Uruguay into the World Cup last 16.

“These are just things that happen out on the pitch. It was just the two of us inside the area and he bumped into me with his shoulder, and that’s how my eye got like this as well,” he told Channel 10 television pointing to his eye.

“There are things that happen on the pitch and you should not make such a big deal out of them.”

FIFA has said it is investigating the alleged bite. Suarez has twice been banned in the past for biting opponents.

Suarez said he was “very happy” that Uruguay had qualified. “We take it one match at a time. We know it is a tough situation, we are being pushed to the limit,” he said. — AFP