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Uruguayan soccer fans wait for banned Suarez

A mural of Uruguay's soccer striker Luis Suarez covers a wall as artist Marcos Jambeiro paints other players at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, June 26, 2014. FIFA banned Suarez from all football activities for four months on Thursday for biting an opponent at the World Cup, a punishment that rules him out of the rest of the tournament. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) A mural of Uruguay's soccer striker Luis Suarez covers a wall as artist Marcos Jambeiro paints other players at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, June 26, 2014. FIFA banned Suarez from all football activities for four months on Thursday for biting an opponent at the World Cup, a punishment that rules him out of the rest of the tournament. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

By Associated Press June 26, 2014 1 min read

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) – Several hundred Uruguayans have gathered at Montevideo’s airport to wait for the return of soccer player Luis Suarez after his banning from the World Cup for biting an Italian player.

Uruguayan President Jose Mujica (moo-HEE’-kuh) was at the international airport at one point Thursday evening, but returned home because Suarez’s flight was delayed.

Because of the delay, the crowd of about 1,000 fans has been moved from the airport terminal to an adjacent air force base to await Suarez’s arrival. They are waving the national flag and carrying banners criticizing the international soccer governing body FIFA for the suspension of Suarez for four months for biting Giorgio Chiellini during a match Wednesday.

Uruguay will now be without its best player for its second-round match against Colombia on Saturday.