Darwin Núñez handed 5-game ban for Copa brawl
On August 28, 2024, at 3:29 in the afternoon
CONMEBOL revealed penalties for the players who were part of the altercation that occurred post the 2024 Copa América semi-final match between Colombia and Uruguay.
After Colombia won 1-0 on July 10, some Uruguay players and staff went up to the stands to talk to fans. CONMEBOL started investigating the incident soon after.
Footballers were caught getting into fights with fans from Colombia, and videos showed Darwin Núñez, a player from Liverpool, trying to throw a chair at the crowd.
Nuñez has received a five-game ban from international competition and a $20,000 fine. As a result, he will not be able to participate in his country's upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against Paraguay, Venezuela, Peru, and Ecuador.
Nuñez will still be able to play for Liverpool in domestic matches as the bans do not apply to games within the country.
Tottenham Hotspur's midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has been given a punishment of a four-game suspension and a $16,000 fine. Meanwhile, José María Giménez, Mathías Olivera and Ronald Araújo have each been banned for three games and fined $12,000.
Six players, who were not as involved in the incident, were given a $5,000 penalty: Matías Viña, Sebastián Cáceres, Brian Rodríguez, Emiliano Martínez, Santiago Mele, and Facundo Pellistri.
The entire Uruguayan federation was fined $20,000, and Marcelo Garcia, an official of the organization, was suspended from all CONMEBOL competitions for six months. This happened after he was caught throwing a water bottle at fans from his VIP suite at Bank of America Stadium.
Coach Bielsa stood up for his team's actions, saying that the players were only trying to protect themselves and their loved ones.
He mentioned that the players responded just like anyone else would in that situation.
If you notice a plan in place to prevent a certain event from occurring, but the event still happens and the backup plan fails, what action would you take if your loved ones were in danger? Would you question whether those who defended themselves will be punished?
