LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 11: Tempers flare between James McCarthy of Everton and Branislav Ivanovic of Chelsea during the Barclays Premier League match between Chelsea and Everton at Stamford Bridge on February 11, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

VIDEO: Did Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic bite James McCarthy?

An interesting development emerged before the end of the Chelsea/Everton game. As Gareth Barry got his red card late in the game, there was a scuffle between Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic and James McCarthy. Ivanovic does get close to McCarthy and it appeared as if he was going to butt heads with McCarthy. Some are pointing out that Ivanovic was going in to bite McCarthy. Chelsea went on to win 1-0 on the ensuing free kick.

While the camera angles made it tough to differentiate whether or not he bit anyone, here is the video featuring the entanglement.

It is really tough to tell if Ivanovic actually bit McCarthy but it did look like he was going to get him for something. The camera shot is in the extreme corner of the screen so it’s tough to get a clean view. McCarthy didn’t appear to feel anything because he didn’t react like someone would if they were bitten by another human being but that doesn’t really prove much. Whether it’s a headbutt or a bite, it’s not good. It’s also not good that Ivanovic didn’t receive anything and McCarthy was the one who got a yellow card.

In a possible ironic twist, Ivanovic was a victim of being bitten by notorious biter Luis Suarez back in April 2013. This was Suarez’s second out of three times that he bit someone on the field. He was banned 10 games and Ivanovic didn’t accept Suarez’s apology afterwards.

It’s going to be interesting to see what will result from this. If Ivanovic actually bit McCarthy, more info will come out from those there or there may be some physical evidence. Right now, I would say that I need some more evidence before condemning Branislav Ivanovic of biting someone. Regardless, he should expect a suspension for whatever act he committed. Whatever the case may be, this story isn’t over.

About Phillip Bupp

Producer/editor of the Awful Announcing Podcast and Short and to the Point. News editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. Highlight consultant for Major League Soccer as well as a freelance writer for hire. Opinions are my own but feel free to agree with them. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @phillipbupp

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