Conmebol laid down the hammer on Uruguay and officially issued its ruling following the incidents that took place in Charlotte after Colombia’s 1-0 win over Uruguay in the semifinals of the Copa América.
The families of the Uruguayan players were caught in the midst of Colombian supporters. After La Celeste’s defeat, various players noticed that their family members, some of whom included small children, were having physical encounters with Colombian fans. They rushed into the stands to defend their families. The end result was a brawl between Uruguayan players and fans.
Darwin Núñez was captured on video trying to throw a chair into the stands. A total of 11 players were involved in the incident, and despite Marcelo Bielsa’s impassioned speech regarding the faults of the organizers, Conmebol was firm in its sanctions.
Uruguay’s Punishment After Copa América Incident
The following sanctions have been issued to the Uruguayan national team:
THREE MATCHES
Mathias Olivera, Ronald Araujo, and José María Giménez
They will all miss the World Cup qualifying matches against Paraguay, Venezuela, and Peru. They will be available to play in October against Ecuador on matchday 10.
FOUR MATCHES
Rodrigo Bentancur, who will miss the matches against Paraguay, Venezuela, Peru, and Ecuador. He will return in November for matchday 11.
FIVE MATCHES
Darwin Núñez, who will miss the matches against Paraguay, Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia. He will be eligible to play against Brazil in November.
Santiago Mele, Matías Viña, Sebastián Cáceres, Emiliano Martínez, Facundo Pellistri, and Brian Rodríguez were each fined $5,000, without a match suspension.
AUF and the 11 offending players received a total fine of $120,000.