Champions League Final: Suarez’s Reunion With ‘Enemies’

The Champions League final between Barcelona and Juventus tomorrow in Berlin will see the controversial Luis Suarez come up against two old enemies. The Barcelona and Uruguay striker will be in direct opposition to Giorgio Chiellini and Patrice Evra in the Juve defence as the clubs battle it out to win the greatest prize in European club football.

Suarez was banned from football for four months after biting Italy’s Chiellini during the World Cup in Brazil last year, meaning he was unable to make his debut for Barcelona until the end of October following his summer move from Liverpool.

His controversial spell with Liverpool included being found guilty by an FA panel of racially abusing Evra during a match at Anfield in 2011 when the French defender was at Manchester United.

Suarez was later handed an eight-match ban and fined £40,000 but then refused to shake hands with Evra when they met again at Old Trafford later that season.

However, Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini has insisted that he has “no problem” facing the man who tried to bite a chunk out of his shoulder during the World Cup, for the first time since last summer.

“Of course I will shake hands,” said Chiellini. “I’ll hug him happily, too, there’s no problem at all. Those who know me even a bit know that’s how I truly feel. I have no problem with him and I think it’s the same for him. I have to think about him as a player, how he moves, his great skill but nothing more.”

Barcelona are the favourites to win the Champions League final in Berlin tomorrow’s night, but it could be a stressful night for Suarez, who must face more than one demon from his past.

Evra, like Chiellini, claims he has no beef with Suarez but, when asked about their meeting, commented: “I will make sure he feels me on the pitch.”

“I am proud to be what I am, I am proud about my colour and I will shake his hand, it is no problem, but I will make sure he feels my presence on the pitch,” he warned.

Juventus may have deprived the football world of the dream Champions League final between Real Madrid and Barcelona – the Ultimo Clasico – but that does not mean that the Old Lady of Turin’s date with the Catalan giants will not be without intrigue, primarily thanks to the presence of Luis Suarez in the Barca ranks.

Barcelona’s Uruguayan badboy may even have secretly been supporting Real Madrid against Juventus in the hope that he could avoid reunions with two Juve defenders, who have been his nemeses at two of his lowest points.

When the final kicks off on 6 June, Suarez is likely to be up against former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra, whose allegations of racism against Uruguayan caused an ongoing feud while he was at Liverpool, and Georgio Chiellini, the Italian defender bitten by Suarez during last summer’s World Cup.

Last summer’s World Cup will be remembered for many things, among them Suarez’s bite on Italian defender Chiellini. The extraordinary incident came during a group game in Brazil when the Uruguayan lost his rag in the Italian box and sank his teeth into Chiellini’s shoulder. It was not the first time Suarez had let his teeth do the talking, a year earlier he had been banned for biting Branislav Ivanovic of Chelsea.

Suarez’s most recent moment of madness came on the biggest stage of all, and while the referee missed the incident, the TV cameras and millions of fans did not. There was uproar after the match and Suarez was eventually hit with a four-month ban. Chewy Luis, as he was nicknamed, became an online phenomenon, but was hailed a hero in his homeland – international politicians were asked about the incident and sponsors rushed to distance themselves from the player.