FIFA BANS FOUR URUGUAY PLAYERS, INCLUDING CAVANI, FOR AGGRESSIVE CONFRONTATION AFTER WORLD CUP GAME

When Uruguay was ousted from the World Cup last month, players Fernando Muslera and José Mara Giménez aggressively confronted match officials, earning them four-game suspensions from FIFA.

When Uruguay plays again, seasoned players Edinson Cavani and Diego Godin must also serve one-game suspensions, according to FIFA’s announcement of the disciplinary decisions.

According to FIFA, each player must perform community work on a football-related project and pay fines of up to 20,000 Swiss francs ($21,600).

Despite defeating Ghana 2-0 in its final group-stage match on December 2, chaos broke out when Uruguay failed to move to the round of 16 in Qatar.

The Uruguayan Football Federation was also ordered to pay a $54,000 fine and have a portion of its stadium closed for one home game.

The federation “was accountable for the discriminatory behavior of its fans as well as for the misconduct, offensive behavior, and violation of the principles of fair play” by players, according to FIFA’s disciplinary panels.

At Al Janoub Stadium, Uruguay players confronted German referee Daniel Siebert after the final horn.

In extra time, they thought Uruguay ought to be given a penalty kick. If Uruguay had scored one more goal, South Korea would have advanced to the round of 16, not Uruguay.

Giménez was competing in his third World Cup, while Cavani, Godin, and Muslera were each competing in their fourth.