Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez BANNED for five games after jumping into the crowd and throwing punches following Uruguay's defeat by Colombia at the Copa America
- Uruguay striker Darwin Nunez has been banned for five international games
- The ban is punishment for his role in ugly scenes after a loss to Colombia in July
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Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez, Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur and Barcelona defender Ronaldo Araujo have all been hit with bans by CONMEBOL following clashes between players and fans at the Copa America this summer.
The trio were part of the Uruguay squad that lost 1-0 to Colombia in their semi-final in Charlotte, North Carolina on July 10.
The match was followed by ugly scenes in the crowd and on the pitch. Nunez was caught on camera throwing punches - though not many landed - after climbing into the stands, apparently in an attempt to protect members of his family.
Nunez was also pictured swinging a foldable chair on the field before a member of stadium security staff intervened.
Araujo jumped into the crowd too, while Bentancur was seen throwing bottles into the stands.
Darwin Nunez (centre) pictured scuffling with fans after Uruguay lost to Colombia in a Copa America semi-final in North Carolina in July
Nunez tried to throw a chair at a group of Colombia fans but a security guard stopped him
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Nunez has been issued with a five-game suspension by South American football's governing body.
Bentancur has been banned for four matches, while Araujo, Mathias Olivera and Jose Gimenez must serve suspensions of three games each.
These bans will not apply to club matches.
However, they could damage Uruguay's qualifying campaign for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada.
Uruguay's next five matches are all World Cup qualifiers - against Paraguay, Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador and then Colombia.
Nunez is currently the leading scorer in the South American qualifying event after six rounds of fixtures, having netted five times for Uruguay.
Nunez has been suspended for five matches but the ban does not apply to Liverpool games
Striker Nunez pictured during Liverpool's 2-0 victory over Brentford at Anfield on Sunday
But Nunez has only received around 20 minutes of game time in Liverpool's first two Premier League fixtures of the 2024-25 season.
After being an unused substitute in a 2-0 win at Ipswich on the opening weekend, he made a late cameo at Anfield on Sunday when Liverpool beat Brentford by the same score.
