Darwin Nunez Banned for 5 Matches Following Copa America Semi-Final Brawl
The South American football governing body, CONMEBOL, has punished Darwin Nunez, the star striker for Liverpool, for his involvement in a major brawl during the Copa America semi-final.
Nunez faces a five-game suspension and a substantial fine. Nunez and a few other players got into a fight with spectators during a heated match between Uruguay and Colombia at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
Darwin Nunez received the harshest penalty of all; the others received fines and four matches or fewer.
The South American association CONMEBOL has fined and suspended Darwin Nunez, the Uruguayan striker for Liverpool, from five games due to his involvement in a major brawl during the Copa America semifinal. Eleven players have been sanctioned altogether, including four suspensions, as a consequence of the investigation into the violence that occurred during the Uruguay vs Colombia match in Charlotte.
Nunez was one of the athletes that entered the Bank of America Stadium bleachers and started punching fans as the game came to a wild conclusion.
The forward received the harshest punishment of all; the others received fines and four matches or fewer.
Ronald Araujo, Jose Maria Gimenez, Mathias Olivera, the defender, and midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur, who plays for Tottenham in England, were all given three-match bans.
The other players received fines ranging from $16,000 to $5,000, while Nunez was fined $20,000. Just fines were given to the other six players. Furthermore, the Uruguayan Football Federation was fined $20,000, the sum of which would be subtracted from award money and earnings.
Gimenez, a central defender for Uruguay, claimed that players had jumped into the brawl out of fear for the lives of loved ones who were watching the match in that area of the stadium.
The CONMEBOL statement did not specify the start date of the suspensions, which apply only to CONMEBOL-organized games and not domestic competitions, but the penalties are subject to appeal.
After playing a friendly match against Guatemala in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Sunday, Uruguay will play two World Cup qualifying matches: one at home against Paraguay on September 6 and the other away against Venezuela on September 10. Colombia defeated Argentina 1-0 in the match, but lost the championship.
