Five Uruguay players, including Liverpool forward Darwin Nunez and Tottenham Hotspur’s Rodrigo Bentancur, have had appeals against bans for a confrontation with Colombia fans after the Copa America semi-final rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Following Uruguay’s 1-0 defeat on July 10 last year at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, players entered the stands where supporters had been brawling close to where the players’ families were seated.
Some Uruguay players and staff were seen grappling with Colombia fans while Nunez was seen on video attempting to throw a chair into the stands. Uruguayan players and coaches said they were acting in self-defence. Speaking after the match, Uruguay head coach Marcelo Bielsa said: “The only thing I can tell you is that the players reacted like any other human being would.”
Nunez received a five-game suspension from CONMEBOL, the South American football federation, and was fined $20,000 (£15,000). Bentancur got a four-game suspension and $16,000 fine while Napoli’s Mathias Olivera, Barcelona’s Ronald Araujo and Atletico Madrid’s Josema Gimenez were given three-game bans and fined $12,000 (£9,000).
Marcelo Garcia, a Uruguayan official, was seen on video throwing a bottle at Colombian fans and he was banned from CONMEBOL competitions for six months.
These sanctions were upheld in September 2024 by the appeal committee of CONMEBOL, which had chosen to hold its continental championship in the United States for the second time.
In October, CAS granted a suspension of the sanctions while the further appeal was heard. This hearing was held remotely on March 28 and on Tuesday, CAS confirmed it had rejected the players’ and Uruguay federation members’ claims of self-defence, stating: “The principle of self-defence does not apply and … the conduct of the players constituted a voluntary, violent and unjustified action.”
The original sanctions for players and Uruguay officials have been upheld in full.
(Top photo: Steve Limentani/ISI Photos/Getty Images)