FIFA ban Uruguay players after World Cup referee scuffle

FIFA has finally handed out bans to four Uruguay players for an incident at the World Cup. Fernando Muslera and Jose Maria Gimenez have both been handed four-match bans.

Diego Godin and Edinson Cavani were, on the other hand, issued a one-match suspension.

The quartet was hit with the bans following their involvement in a heated post-match scene following a victory over Ghana. Despite winning the match 2-0, Uruguay was knocked out of the tournament because of the scoreline.

The South Americans needed one more goal in the game to advance to the knockout round.

Multiple players confronted match referee

Uruguay players were furious with match referee Daniel Siebert in the later stages of the Ghana game.

They thought that Siebert should have awarded the team multiple penalties during the match. Cavani and Darwin Nunez both pleaded for penalties in the final moments, but were waved away.

After the final whistle, multiple Uruguay players surrounded and angrily screamed at the referee. Star striker Luis Suarez even claimed that FIFA was “against Uruguay.”

Cavani asked for Siebert to be jailed

Cavani took his protests with the referee even further. The 35-year-old forward asked for Siebert to be put in jail during an interview following the World Cup.

“They have to put him in jail,” Cavani told Spanish outlet Marca. “But if they penalize me for hitting the VAR, the referee, for having taken us out of the World Cup, they have to put him in jail.”

He also admitted that he was concerned about being charged in the incident. “Yes, of course it worries me, because it would be out of competition with my teammates, my club and my team. It worries me,” continued Cavani.

“But these are things that happen. But they have to get a little on the footballer’s side, not only the referee and others, on the footballer’s side to see what has happened. Why it has happened and why things have happened the way they have.”

Along with the bans, Reuters reports that the four players have to perform soccer-related community service and pay fines in the region of $21,000. The Uruguayan FA must also pay a $54,000 fine as well.

Photo credit: IMAGO / Sports Press Photo