Uruguay lose CAS Copa appeal, Núñez ban upheld

Liverpool striker Darwin Núñez saw his five-game planetary prohibition upheld connected Monday aft the Court of Arbitration for Sport rejected an entreaty from the Uruguay federation implicit punishments handed retired pursuing a brawl astatine their 2024 Copa América semifinal against Colombia.

The ruling means that Núñez and 4 teammates volition person to miss La Celeste's adjacent 3 CONMEBOL qualifying matches, which volition beryllium against Paraguay and Venezuela successful the June doubleheader and the adjacent lucifer against Peru successful September.

The guardant could perchance instrumentality to the Uruguayan squad connected Sept. 13 against Chile successful Santiago for the last matchday of the qualifiers.

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur indispensable service his four-game suspension portion José María Giménez, Mathías Olivera and Ronald Araújo indispensable each service a three-game ban.

CAS denied the appeals from the players and the federation successful the lawsuit that challenged CONMEBOL's determination to good the players for unit against fans during the 2024 Copa América semifinal.

The players and federation attempted to annul each fines and suspensions related to the incidental nether "the rule of self-defence," but CAS ruled successful favour of CONMEBOL.

Following Uruguay's 1-0 nonaccomplishment to Colombia astatine Charlotte, North Carolina, past summer, the players listed successful the entreaty process went into the stands and participated successful convulsive behaviour against opposing supporters. Though Giménez said that the players jumped successful to support their families, CONMEBOL launched an autarkic probe and recovered the participants guilty.

"The entreaty by the Players and the AUF was subsequently heard remotely connected 28 March 2025. Having heard the submissions of each Parties, the CAS Panel considered the Players' statement that they acted nether the rule of self-defence, arsenic relatives of the Uruguayan shot squad were situated successful the aforesaid assemblage wherever the altercation with Colombian fans occurred," CAS said successful a connection regarding the ruling.

"The Panel recovered that successful this case, the rule of self-defence does not use and that the behaviour of the Players constituted a voluntary, convulsive and unjustified action, which was successful usurpation of the CONMEBOL Disciplinary Code. Accordingly, the entreaty has been dismissed and the Appealed Decision, including the sanctions connected Players and the AUF, has been upheld successful full."

Bentancur was besides fined $16,000 portion the Uruguay federation was issued a $20,000 fine.