Euro 2020: Antonio Rudiger Caught On Camera Attempting To Bite Paul Pogba

Germany defender Antonio Rudiger looked to bite France superstar Paul Pogba during the two nations’ Euro 2020 clash on Tuesday evening

In truly bizarre scenes, Rudiger was caught on camera moving in towards Pogba’s back and then leaning his head forwards.

It then appeared that he tried to sink his teeth through the jersey, leaving his opponent visibly reeling and confused.

Pogba quickly complained to the referee, but with the incident largely going unnoticed until the half-time break, no action was taken.

No VAR review was held, either, and the game was allowed to continue, leaving any potential repercussions uncertain currently

Chelsea centre back Rudiger had been marking Pogba just before half-time in the heavyweight fixture in Munich

The midfielder’s reaction looked to be delayed, but he clearly pointed towards his shoulder blades when making the officials aware of the apparent bite

UEFA may choose to look into the incident post-match, with severe punishments having been meted out for similar altercations in the past.

ITV’s punditry team of Patrick Vieira, Roy Keane and Ian Wright were left bemused by the bite, but former Manchester United captain Keane labelled it ‘more of a nibble’

Having re-watched the footage, Vieira said: ‘When you see Pogba’s reaction, it felt like a bite. I don’t really understand what he was trying to do there.

Keane then responded in turn by insisting: ‘I think it was more of a nibble than a bite. It’s a silly thing to do.’

Wright believes that the nature of Pogba’s reaction suggested that the bite may not have made contact at all.

‘If he’s bit him there, he’s going to flinch,’ Wright argued. ‘He’s not flinched at all.’

Uruguay striker Luis Suarez notoriously bit Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup – and was later banned for four months and fined £66,000.