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Newcastle United defender Paul Dummett has been the subject of death threats after being blamed by the Uruguay FA for putting Luis Suarez’s World Cup at risk.

The South American striker faces a desperate race against time to face England at the finals in Brazil after tearing a knee ligament in training with his country on Wednesday.

Following the training ground injury, which came when Uruguay did an indoor session because of bad weather, the Liverpool star underwent keyhole surgery yesterday morning, and will now pursue a hi-tech rehabilitation in a bid to face England on June 19, despite the odds against him.

Dummett suddenly found himself the subject of a concerted campaign, with tweeters in Uruguay attacking him after the nation’s FA directing the finger of blame his way, and their media even claiming he crocked Suarez intentionally to help England.

In a statement issued by the AUF - the Asociacion Uruguaya de Futbol - they suggested “the player received a blunt trauma to his left knee in the final game of the Premier League with Liverpool”.

Dummett was sent off for a challenge on Suarez in that game, but the decision was later rescinded, with the FA deciding it was a 50-50 contact.

The conspiracy theory was perpetuated by the Uruguay media, with sports website Tenfield.com even suggesting that substitute Dummett was “sent on with the intent to commit willful and criminal injury to the Uruguayan striker to help England”...even though the defender is a Wales U21 international!

They compared the “crime” to the 1966 World Cup, where they claim Uruguay and Argentina were cheated out of the tournament by referees helping England and Germany, with the help of then FIFA president, Sir Stanley Rous, an Englishman.

(Image: Laurence Griffiths)

Suarez, in fact, completed the game and was cleared by Liverpool’s medical staff to travel to Uruguay to join up with his nation’s World Cup squad, where he trained this week and tore the knee ligament during a session.

Dummett told the Mirror on Thursday: “The challenge was inadvertent. I hit him and the ball with my left foot and he went down under the challenge.

“I hope he makes the World Cup because he is one of the best players in the world so he should be there.

“Having said that, I injured my meniscus three years ago and I was out for three months, so it will depend on the injury and exactly where it is on the knee.”

AUF president Wilmar Valdez confirmed: “We knew that Luis had in the last game a little discomfort (knee) but nothing major. However, in training he again felt the trouble.”

But that didn’t stop passionate Uruguay fans attacking the Newcastle defender on Twitter, with one saying if he travelled to that country he would get a “bullet in the head”, while another simply stated: “We kill you”.

Liverpool’s medical department have so far made no comment on the injury, but it seems clear the tear happened on Wednesday, not a fortnight ago.

The AUF has insisted the laser surgery - carried out by the brother of Uruguay striking legend Enzo Francescoli - was a complete success, and in their statement stated Suarez “is not ruled out of the World Cup”.

But normally, with an average recovery time of four to six weeks for a partial tear to the lateral meniscus ligament, Suarez would not make the tournament.

Suarez himself is bullish about his chances.

He sent a message before the surgery to say the nation should “stay calm, I will make it”.

And later he tweeted: