Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez will serve a five-match international suspension, issued by South America’s governing body CONMEBOL, as punishment for an incident that occurred during this summer’s Copa America.
Following Uruguay’s 1-0 semi-final defeat to Colombia in Charlotte, North Carolina, in mid-July, several Uruguay players and staff members were involved in an altercation with opposition fans. Nunez, among the guilty party, climbed into the stands where the Colombia faithful were situated, confronting Los Cafeteros’ supporters.
After an investigation into the confrontation, the 25-year-old number nine will now miss crucial 2026 World Cup qualifiers for his country, whilst also paying a £15,000 fine. Tottenham’s Rodrigo Bentancur was issued a four-game ban and charged £12,000 for his involvement, while Jose Maria Gimenez, Mathias Olivera and Ronaldo Araujo all face three-match suspensions and £9,000 fines.
Uruguay Players Banned for Colombia Incident
Bielsa will have a depleted squad
Uruguay’s impressive Copa America journey ultimately ended in heartbreak this summer. La Celeste, managed by former Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa, impressed during the initial stage of the competition, netting eleven goals in three outings as they comfortably won their group.
After defeating Brazil on penalties in the quarter-final, Bielsa’s side crashed out to Colombia in a cagey semi-final, with a goal from Jefferson Lerma sending the Yellows through to the final, in what was a fiery game marred by a mass brawl started by Luis Suarez. The gutting defeat turned unsavoury after a nasty fight broke out involving members of Uruguay’s camp.
Nunez, supposedly incensed by harsh words from Colombia fans relating to his family, rushed into the stands to engage in a physical battle with opposition attendees. The incident flared up and ultimately resulted in a lengthy probe by CONMEBOL, which found several guilty parties.
The Uruguayan federation were fined £15,000, while five players now face suspensions and six more received £3,700 fines each. An official from Uruguay’s FA, Marcelo Garcia, was seen throwing a water bottle at fans from his box at the Bank of America Stadium and was subsequently banned from all CONMEBOL competitions for six months.
Bielsa will now have to pick from a depleted squad for his opening World Cup qualifiers, with star man Nunez set to miss games against Paraguay, Venezuela, Peru and Ecuador. However, the iconic manager defended the actions of his team at the time, arguing that his ensemble were merely attempting to protect family members who they felt were being threatened.
Bielsa Defends His Players’ Actions
The Coach was frustrated at the tournament’s organisation
In typical Bielsa fashion, the outspoken coach launched a tirade after the incident, arguing his player’s reaction to abuse from the Colombia fanbase was justified and essentially human nature:
“The only thing I can tell you is that the players reacted like any other human being would. If you see that there’s a process to keep what happened from happening. If you see that if what happened happens anyway, and that there’s supposedly another process — an escape hatch, let’s say — and both things fail, and you see your woman, or your mother, or a baby, being attacked, what would you do? You’d ask whether they’re going to punish the people who defended themselves?”
The former Lille manager was generally displeased during the tournament, slamming the US and CONMEBOL for their organisation of the Copa America during a tense press conference at the end of the competition.
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Publish date : 2024-08-28 09:34:00
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