World Cup: Death threats over Luis Suarez injury

May 23, 2014

He is hoping to be one of the stars of the 2014 World Cup, but an injury blow for Luis Suarez has drawn extreme reaction from Uruguay football fans.

Suarez is facing a race against time to be fit for the showpiece tournament in Brazil starting next month, and the player whose challenge required the Liverpool star to have knee surgery has been bombarded with death threats.

Paul Dummett, who plays for Newcastle United, was sent off for his challenge on Uruguay's all-time leading scorer on the final day of the English Premier League season earlier this month.

Uruguay has been drawn in the same group as England, and some fans took to Twitter to unleash their fury at the 22-year-old, with many posting violent messages on the social media network.

One message read: "Hi paul dummett I hope some day you come here (Uruguay) to have a nice time with friends. We have things for you, like a bullet in the head."

Another tweeted: "Hey, Paul Dummett. If Suárez doesn't play against England, you'll never play again."

The English Football Association rescinded Dummett's suspension following the May 11 incident, and Suarez was able to join up with his national side for a training camp in Montevideo -- but limped out in a warmup on Wednesday and had a minor operation Thursday.

The 27-year-old, who has scored 38 goals in 77 international appearances, is likely to be out of action for a fortnight after damaging his meniscus.

Oscar Tabarez's side begins its World Cup campaign on June 15 against Costa Rica before facing England four days later in Sao Paulo, with a final group-stage match against Italy on June 24.

Suarez left the hospital in a wheelchair following the procedure, but Uruguay's football association insists "his participation in the World Cup in Brazil has not been ruled out."