British media sink teeth into Luis 8216;cannibal8217; Suarez

TV replays clearly showed Liverpool striker biting Chelsea defender Ivanovic's forearm.

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has been dubbed a 8220;cannibal8221; by British media after his shameful bite on Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic in a Premier League match on Sunday.

The Uruguayan could face heavy punishment from the Football Association when they begin an investigation into his assault on Ivanovic,which was missed by match referee Kevin Friend.

Television replays clearly showed the 26-year-old seizing Ivanovic8217;s forearm and sinking his teeth into it.

It was not the first time Suarez,who scored a stoppage time equaliser in a 2-2 draw,has been involved in a biting incident. He was previously banned in the Netherlands after biting the neck of PSV8217;s Otman Bakkal while playing for Ajax in 2010.

8220;The Kop Cannibal8221; was the Daily Mirror8217;s back page headline,a description also used by the Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph,both papers suggesting it was time Liverpool parted company with the controversial striker.

Mass circulation tabloid The Sun said 8220;Same Old Suarez,Always Eating8221; while The Times back page said Suarez had 8220;shamed8221; the club which stood by him during a racism storm that saw him banned last season.

Suarez,who leads the Premier League8217;s scoring charts with 23 goals,issued an apology on Sunday and Liverpool also condemned their player8217;s behaviour. Managing director Ian Ayre described his actions as 8220;not befitting of any player wearing a Liverpool shirt8221;.

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The FA said they would talk to the match referee on Monday as they begin an investigation.

Retrospective punishment,using video evidence,has been used before to sanction players whose misdemeanours were missed on the pitch and it is unlikely Suarez will escape a lengthy ban.

Liverpool would also find themselves in a moral dilemma.

While some will call for Suarez to be shown the door,or even sacked,others will point to his undeniable quality on the pitch and his value to the team.

Manager Brendan Rodgers,who has backed Suarez to win the Player of the Year award,was initially reluctant to talk about the bite but said no player was bigger than the club.

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8220;Players are always replaceable,no matter how good they think they are,8221; Rodgers said on Liverpool8217;s website.

8220;The standards at this club have been met for many years and that8217;s why it is the worldwide institution that it is.8221;