Luis Suárez was today charged with biting an opponent in a World Cup match – which could see him banned from football for up to two years if found guilty.

The Uruguayan forward is accused of sinking his jaws into the shoulder of Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini in Brazil, just 14 months after he had to apologise for doing the same thing in Britain.

Fifa’s disciplinary committee said this morning that it had opened proceedings against Liverpool player Suárez, and has asked his team to present evidence by 5pm local time (9pm BST) today.

A decision on whether he is guilty of ‘assaulting an opponent’ must be published before Saturday, when Uruguay play Colombia in a Round of 16 match.

Fifa’s rules state that any ban could apply to all football matches – both international and domestic.

The clash last night in the sweltering Arena das Dunas in Natal, Brazil, came in the final 15 minutes of a tense decisive match between Italy and Uruguay.

Both teams were fighting for qualification for the next round and the score still stood at 0-0 in the final minutes.

But Liverpool FC star Suárez was not handed a yellow or red card – and minutes after the confrontation Uruguay went 1-0 up, winning the match and qualifying for the knockout stages.

Chiellini, who plays for Italian team Juventus, reacted furiously after the final whistle and insisted he had been bitten.