Uruguay manager Oscar Tabarez has played down the Luis Suarez biting incident, claiming that the Liverpool striker is being persecuted by the media.

The 27-year-old forward appeared to bite Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini in Uruguay's 1-0 win against the Azzurri, a result that saw the 2010 semi-finalists advance to the second round of the World Cup.

"I'd like to see the images first before making any comment," Tabarez told reporters after the game.

"If it happened, then the referee probably didn't see it. Despite mistakes, [Suarez] is the target of certain media, a certain press. It seems to me there's a certain animosity towards him."

Suarez has been found guilty of biting players prior to the Group D decider in Natal, with incidents in the Eredivisie and the Premier League.