The former world heavyweight champion, who himself once infamously bit an opponent in the boxing ring, has defended the Uruguay striker for his actions at the World Cup

Mike Tyson has leapt to the defence of Luis Suarez following the Uruguay striker’s bite on Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup.

Suarez was handed a four-month worldwide ban by Fifa after biting the defender during Uruguay’s Group D clash with Italy a fortnight ago.

But former world heavyweight boxing champion Tyson, who himself once infamously chewed off part of the ear of Evander Holyfield during a title fight, has empathised with the Liverpool striker.

“Suarez’s bite? I understand it. It was a blackout moment which can happen at times,” Tyson replied during a Q&A on social networking service Reddit.

“It was just one moment in which the competition can make the blood in your veins boil and it overpowers your rationality.

“Sometimes you become something that you are not.”

Tyson is regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers in history, and still holds the record as the sport’s youngest ever champion in his weight category at the age of 20 years and eight months.

Suarez, who also incurred a nine-game ban from international matches as a result of the third biting incident of his career, is believed to be closing in on a transfer from Liverpool to Barcelona, despite his suspension from footballing activity.

The Uruguay international is facing a court case in Italy after a national union filed a lawsuit for his “assault” on the Juventus defender

The Codacons, a collection of unions established in Italy to protect the rights of consumers, is attempting to sue Luis Suarez for his “assault” on Giorgio Chiellini.

The Liverpool forward was suspended for nine competitive international fixtures and banned from all football-related activity for four months after being found guilty of biting the defender during Uruguay’s 1-0 win over the Azzurri in the group stages of World Cup 2014.

Italian legislation allows trials into incidents that occurred outside the country if the victim is an Italian citizen and courts in Rome have confirmed that the case has been brought to their attention.

“Now we are waiting to see what the courts decide,” Codacons President Carlo Rienzi told Sport Mediaset.

“If they recognise, as we suggested, a potential crime in Suarez’s behaviour, then they can analyse the video and photographic evidence.”

The case was put forward solely by the Codacons and neither Chiellini nor the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) have played a part in the legal action.

The union has tried to file football-related law suits in the past, including one which called on Serie A to be halted following refereeing errors.

It was claimed by the union that the mistakes resulted in people who had paid to watch the match or have a bet on the game being defrauded.

Ljubinko Drulovic, in caretaker charge of the national side, believes an imminent switch to Anfield will be of considerable benefit to the 20-year-old winger

Caretaker Serbia coach Ljubinko Drulovic believes that Lazar Markovic’s expected transfer to Liverpool can help him become one of Europe’s elite players.

The 20-year-old is widely anticipated to join the Reds from Portuguese champions Benfica after the Premier League club reportedly activated his £25 million release clause.

The Serbia international winger, who made his debut as a 17-year-old against Armenia in 2012, only arrived in Portugal at the start of the 2013-14 season after joining Benfica on a five-year deal from Partizan Belgrade.

Despite the youngster’s spending just one season in the Primeira Liga, Drulovic – interim coach of the national team following Sinisa Mihajlovic’s decision to take charge of Sampdoria in November – says that Markovic’s proposed move to Anfield is the right decision for his career.

“Markovic had an excellent season at Benfica last year, he evolved a lot,” he told Radio Renascenca.

“It’ll be good for him and Benfica. Going to a very strong league will help him even more to become a major player worldwide.

“He’s 20 years old and has a long time to play. Markovic could prove to become a very important player in Europe.”

Markovic enjoyed a successful debut campaign for Benfica, scoring seven goals in all competitions as Jorge Jesus’s men claimed a domestic treble and reached the Europa League final.