Four Uruguayan World Cup stars facing ’10-15 match ban’ for their actions in Qatar

Four Uruguayan players who featured in some matches played by their country at the 2022 World Cup are facing the prospect of a 10-15 match ban for club and country.

Recall that Uruguay crashed out of the World Cup in the group stages, finishing third, level on points with South Korea, despite winning their last game against Ghana. They couldn’t proceed to the next stage of the tournament because South Korea had more goals.

However, Edinson Cavani, Jose Maria Giménez, Diego Godin, and Fernando Muslera, are now being investigated over their actions in Uruguay’s last match against Ghana at the tournament.

Spanish media outlet AS reported that the four players have been collared for breaching articles 11 and 12 of FIFA’s disciplinary code, and now await the decision from the governing body, with the FIFA disciplinary rulebook stating: “The prohibition of carrying out activities related to football for at least six months.”.

Reports also suggest that Giménez is accused of hitting a FIFA official, while Cavani reportedly threw the VAR monitor to the ground on the way to the changing room tunnel in the aftermath of the incident.

The serious nature of the acts connected with Giménez and Cavani in particular could lead the FIFA Committee to characterize them as inciting public “hate or violence”, meaning the duo could face up to six months on the sidelines.

36-year-old keeper Muslera has been a key figure for his country, making 133 caps, having made his name at club side Galatasaray, having joined the Turkish giants in 2011 from Lazio and been club captain since 2020.

Uruguay captain Godin, having made 161 appearances since his debut in 2005, is still key for his country despite being 36 years old. The Uruguayan legend has been a top defender in Europe for years and was influential in Atletico’s rise under Simeone in the early 2010s, but currently plays his club football with Vélez Sarsfield in the Argentinian first division.

FIFA Disciplinary Committee’s final decision will be announced at the end of February and there’s a risk that the players could be banned from playing for their clubs, as well as their countries.