Darwin Nuñez hit with five-game ban for attempting to throw chair

Liverpool striker Darwin Nuñez has been given a five-game suspension and a fine of $20,000 for his part in a melee at this summer’s Copa América.

On Wednesday CONMEBOL announced sanctions for those involved in the chaos, which saw several Uruguay players enter the stands after their semi-final loss. Uruguayan players have said that they were attempting to confront Colombian fans who they believed were threatening their families.

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However Nuñez was caught on camera attempting to throw a chair into the stand housing Colombian supporters. His five-game ban is the longest of any of the players involved but it will not affect his playing time at Liverpool. The punishment will only apply to CONMEBOL competition.

Which Uruguay players have been suspended by CONMEBOL?

The Liverpool man is not the only Premier League star sanctioned by South American soccer’s governing body. Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has been hit with a four-game ban and a fine of $16,000.

Josema Giménez, Mathías Olivera and Ronald Araujo each received three-game suspensions and $12,000 fines. Sebastián Cáceres, Matías Viña, Facundo Pellistri, Emiliano Martinez, Brian Rodríguez and Santiago Mele have each received a $5,000 fine.

Uruguay head coach Marcelo Bielsa defended his players after the game, pointing to mistakes made by the tournament organisers as the reason for the chaos.

“The only thing I can tell you is that the players reacted like any other human being would,” Bielsa told reporters.

“If you see that there’s a process to keep what happened from happening. If you see that if what happened happens anyways, and that there’s supposedly another process — an escape hatch, let’s say — and both things fail, and you see your woman, or your mother, or a baby, being attacked, what would you do? You’d ask whether they’re going to punish the people who defended themselves?”