Luis Suarez bite: Suarez could play against Colombia even if he is banned by Fifa for alleged bite with Uruguay set to appeal any possible suspension

With the striker likely to appeal any ban he is given, a hearing would not begin until next week meaning he is free to play on Saturday in the World Cup second round

Suarez could face a two-year ban for the incident (PA)

Luis Suarez could play against Colombia in Saturday night’s second round clash even if he is banned for his alleged bite on Giorgio Chiellini with Uruguay looking at exploiting a loophole in Fifa’s disciplinary process to include their talismanic striker.

Suarez tried to bite Chiellini last year

Fifa will announce later today their decision on Suarez’s apparent bite on Italy’s Chiellini during the 1-0 victory on Tuesday that ended the Italian’s World Cup campaign. Having submitted their defence on Wednesday, Suarez and Uruguay’s legal team are exploring the possibility of appealing the decision should he receive a ban, which could delay the start of any suspension until after the match.

UPDATE: Luis Suarez banned for nine matches

The governing body has promised “urgent” action in addressing the latest incident to involve Suarez, with disciplinary committee member Martin Hong admitting “It's our duty to see justice done.”

But they have been unable to guarantee that any appeal from Suarez would still see him miss the rest of the tournament, with a hefty suspension expected given his history of biting other players.

Should he appeal immediately after Fifa’s decision – with an announcement expected early Thursday morning in Brazil – a hearing is unlikely to go through until next week, meaning he would be free to face Colombia in the second match on the knockout stages.

Chiellini claims he has been bitten by Suarez, who is holding his teeth in pain

Fifa will take his previous bans into account when making a decision, given that Suarez has already been banned for seven and 10 matches for biting PSV Eindhoven’s Otman Bakkal and Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic respectively.