Qatar 2022: FIFA Fines, Bans 4 Uruguay Players After Unruly Scenes Following Ghana Win | Football/Soccer

World football’s governing body FIFA banned four Uruguayan players for aggressively confronting match officials as the team were eliminated from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar despite beating Ghana 2-0.

Uruguay players Fernando Muslera and Jose Maria Gimenez for four games each, while veterans Edinson Cavani and Diego Godin will also face one-game bans, FIFA said in a disciplinary ruling.

All players must do community service in football projects. Gimenez and Muslera will pay a fine of 20,000 Swiss francs ($21,600) each while Cavani and Godin will pay a fine of 15,000 Swiss francs each, FIFA said.

In addition, the Uruguayan football federation was also fined 50,000 Swiss francs ($54,000) and must observe the partial closure of the stadium (located behind the goal) in the next FIFA “A” international match as the host association.

“After a thorough analysis of the various factual elements in accordance with the applicable provisions of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee found that the Uruguayan Football Association is responsible for the discriminatory behavior of the supporters as well as for misconduct, offensive behavior and violation of the principles of fair play of member of the representative team,” the statement said.

“In addition, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee has decided to sanction the Uruguayan players Jose Maria Gimenez, Fernando Muslera, Edinson Cavani and Diego Godin in connection with the misconduct and/or behavior that has been determined”.

What did Uruguay do

Uruguay players confronted German referee Daniel Siebert after the final whistle at the Al Janoub Stadium despite winning their last group game against Ghana last month.

Valencia striker Edinson Cavani was pictured pushing the VAR monitor after the match.

He accused the referee of denying a penalty kick in stoppage time. One more goal would send Uruguay into the round of 16 ahead of South Korea who beat Portugal 2-1 to advance as runners-up in Group H.