South American football governing body CONMEBOL on Wednesday imposed suspensions on several Uruguayan internationals following incidents during the Copa America semifinal against Colombia in July.
Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez faces a five-match suspension, while Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur will miss four games. Mathias Olivera, Ronald Araujo and Jose Maria Gimenez are each banned for three matches.
Uruguay’s upcoming World Cup qualifying matches include hosting Paraguay on Sept. 6 and playing at Venezuela four days later. Nunez will also miss matches against Peru and Ecuador in October, as well as the home game against Colombia in November.
The incidents occurred at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, where Uruguay players were involved in a brawl with fans after their team lost 1-0 to Colombia.
In addition to his suspension, Nunez will be fined $20,000, Bentancur $16,000 and Olivera, Araujo and Gimenez $12,000 each.
Seven other Uruguay players will each pay a $5,000 fine.
Gimenez told reporters that the team was trying to protect their families from Colombian supporters during the altercation.
