Uruguay’s football bullies
World Cup player banned after attacking German referee
01/27/2023, 8:13 p.m
The attack on German referee Daniel Siebert at the World Cup in Qatar was severely punished: four Uruguayan internationals were banned, and both they and the association had to pay fines. The scandal came about because Siebert denied the South Americans a penalty.
FIFA has hit Uruguay’s football bullies with the harsh punishments expected. As the world football association announced, the four national players Diego Godin, Edison Cavani, Jose Maria Gimenez and Fernando Muslera were suspended for violations of fair play and offensive behavior after riots surrounding German referee Daniel Siebert in the World Cup preliminary round match against Ghana.
Defender Gimenez and goalkeeper Muslera have each been suspended for four internationals and face a fine of around €20,000. Cavani and Godin each have to sit out a game and pay about 15,000 euros. In addition, the four were sentenced to community service in football.
In addition to the individual penalties, the Uruguayan Football Association was also fined around 50,000 euros and partially banned from the next home game for the “discriminatory behavior of its supporters” and the “misconduct” of the players. So the places behind the gates remain empty.
Siebert was violently attacked by the South Americans after Uruguay lost the World Cup. Despite beating Ghana 2-0 in the group final, Uruguay missed out on the round of 16. Captain Luis Suarez’s side were missing a goal and a 3-0 win would have been enough to progress. Instead of the South Americans, South Korea advanced to the knockout stages. The Uruguayans blamed Siebert for refusing them a penalty.