Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez has been handed a five-match international ban for his role in a brawl between Uruguay players and Colombia fans at the Copa America.
Uruguay players said Colombia supporters had been harassing their families during the semi-final clash in July and proceeded to enter the stands to confront the alleged perpetrators after violence broke out in this section of the stadium.
Six weeks later, CONMEBOL’s disciplinary committee has fined the Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) $20,000 (£15,130), as well as fines and/or suspensions for 11 players. AUF official Marcelo Garcia has also received a six-month stadium ban from all CONMEBOL competitions.
Banned from playing in his country’s next five matches, Núñez has been hit with the most severe suspension. He will miss the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Paraguay, Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. He will be able to return against Brazil on November 16.
Nunez has also been fined $20,000, again the most severe of all the fines imposed. The Liverpool The player will not have to pay the amount out of pocket, but it will be automatically deducted from the amount that the AUF was supposed to receive in prize money and streaming money.
Tottenham Hotspur’s Rodrigo Bentancur has been banned for four matches and fined $16,000 (£12,100), while there are three bans and $12,000 (£9,080) fines for Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo and Atlético’s José Giménez from Madrid, as well as Mathias Olivera.
Sebastian Caceres, Matias Vina, Emiliano Martinez, Brian Rodriguez, Santiago Mele and Facundo Pellistri, who recently left Manchester United for Panathinaikos on a permanent loanthey have been fined $5,000 (£3,780) but not suspended.
All have the right to appeal the decisions within seven days, but it comes with a fee of $3,000 (£2,270).
Uruguay have made a strong start to the marathon that is South America’s World Cup qualification through the first six matchdays, second in the standings behind only Argentina and eight points ahead of the cutting But losing a number of players for at least three games is a big blow.
