The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) has announced the punishment of 11 players from the Uruguayan national team due to the events that accompanied the match against Colombia in the semi-finals of the Copa America last month, including Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez, who was suspended for five matches.
In addition to Nunez, Rodrigo Bentancur was suspended for four matches, Matias Oliveira, Ronaldo Araujo and Jose Maria Gimenez for three matches each, while Santiago Melio, Matias Vina, Sebastian Caceres, Emiliano Martinez, Facundo Pellistri and Brian Rodriguez were fined $5,000 without suspension.
Uruguay players clashed with Colombian fans after their team lost 1-0 in the semi-finals of the continental tournament, in scenes that CONMEBOL deemed “unacceptable.”
Nunez threw a series of punches at Colombian fans after jumping into the stands at Bank of America Stadium following a game marked by excessive roughness and violence that ended with Uruguay losing to Colombia with a header from Jefferson Lerma in the 39th minute.
Uruguay defender Jose Maria Gimenez justified his teammates’ actions by saying they feared for the safety of their family members and loved ones who were watching the match.
“This is a disaster. Our family was in danger. We had to go to the stands to get our loved ones out, along with our newborn babies,” said the Atletico Madrid defender.
“There was not a single police officer… I hope whoever organizes these events will be more careful with the families. In every match this happens because there are people who do not know how to deal with two glasses of alcohol,” he added.
The vast majority of the fans supported the Colombian team, with no barriers separating them from the Uruguayan fans.
“In light of the violence that occurred at the end of the match between Uruguay and Colombia, CONMEBOL’s disciplinary unit has decided to open an investigation to clarify the sequence of events and the responsibilities of those involved,” the South American confederation said after the events.
CONMEBOL “strongly condemns any acts of violence that affect football. Our work is based on the conviction that football connects and unites us through its positive values.”
Violence also broke out on the pitch after the final whistle, with players and coaching staff from both teams getting into a fight after Colombia’s win.
The absence of a player of Nunes’ calibre will certainly have a significant impact on Uruguay, who play their next two 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Paraguay on September 6 and Venezuela four days later.
The Liverpool star will also miss matches against Peru and Ecuador in October and Colombia in November.
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