RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) Luis Suarez claimed to FIFA's disciplinary panel that he did not deliberately bite Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup.
The Uruguay striker writes in Spanish that ''in no way it happened how you have described, as a bite or intent to bite.''
The player's defense is in paragraph 6 of FIFA's ruling, which has been seen by The Associated Press.
Suarez says ''after the impact ... I lost my balance, making my body unstable and falling on top of my opponent.
''At that moment I hit my face against the player leaving a small bruise on my cheek and a strong pain in my teeth,'' Suarez writes.
The seven-man panel writes that the bite was ''deliberate, intentional and without provocation.''
Suarez was banned for nine Uruguay matches and four months from all football.
