Uruguay’s Darwin Nunez Banned For Five Games Following Copa America Incidents

Darwin Nunez received the harshest sentence of the group, with the others receiving four matches or fewer in addition to fines.

Darwin Nunez, a Uruguayan striker for Liverpool, has been banned for five matches and fined by South American organization CONMEBOL for his role in a major brawl during the Copa America semi-finals. Four other players have been suspended, with 11 sanctioned in total, as a result of the investigation into the violence at the end of Uruguay’s match against Colombia in Charlotte. Nunez was one of several players that rushed into the seats at Bank of America Stadium and traded punches with battling fans following the game’s tumultuous conclusion.

The forward received the harshest sentence of the group, with the others receiving four matches or less in addition to fines.

Midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur, who plays for Tottenham in England, was banished for four games, while Mathias Olivera, Ronald Araujo, and Jose Maria Gimenez were all barred for three.

Nunez was fined $20,000, while the other players faced fines ranging from $16,000 to $5,000.

Six other players were just fined.

In addition, the Uruguayan Football Federation was fined $20,000, which will be withheld from revenues and award money.

Uruguay center defender Gimenez stated that players had jumped into the melee out of fear for the safety of family members and loved ones watching the game in that section of the stadium.

The punishments are subject to appeal, although the CONMEBOL statement did not specify when the suspensions, which apply to CONMEBOL games rather than domestic competitions, would begin.

Uruguay is slated to play a friendly against Guatemala in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Sunday, followed by World Cup qualifiers against Paraguay at home on September 6 and Venezuela away on September 10.