Is Darwin Nunez Playing Tonight For Uruguay Vs Canada After Punching a Fan? Latest On Suspension & Fines

The Copa America semi-final between Uruguay and Colombia ended abysmally. Uruguay’s star forward Darwin Nunez was forced to fight against a violent mob of Colombia fans who reportedly tried to harm his family. Nunez even punched a fan to keep his family unharmed. The Liverpool star’s teammate Manuel Ugarte joined him in the pushing and shoving after his mother reportedly passed out in the mayhem at the Bank of America Stadium. After Nunez’s involvement in this physical altercation, most soccer enthusiasts are eager to know if he should serve a ban immediately.

Notably, Uruguay and Canada square off for third place at the Copa America in the Bank of America Stadium. Will Nunez return to the ground where he threw punches against Colombian fans? Here’s what we could gather.

The latest update on Darwin Nunez’s availability for the Uruguay-Canada tie

Prior reports suggested FIFA could impose a lengthy ban on Darwin Nunez after an investigation. But it seems FIFA’s decision won’t be out that soon. In a positive for Uruguayan fans, Uruguay-based publication Referi tweeted that Nunez won’t face a ban in the third-place game on Friday. Besides, renowned US-based soccer journalist Favian Renkel also confirmed that Nunez won’t face any ban in the game against Canada. Moreover, Anfield Talk, close to Nunez’s club- Liverpool, also suggested that the star striker will be available for the Uruguay-Colombia tie.

Anfield Talk reported that the Uruguayan federation welcomed CONMEBOL’s decision not to penalize Darwin Nunez. Moreover, Nunez was seen training with his teammates in the Uruguay camp to prepare for the Canadian faceoff. Anyhow, it is far from safe to say that Nunez and fellow teammates are off the hook. CONMEBOL and FIFA could heavily penalize the Liverpool star and others in the coming days.

Nunez awaits crucial decision from FIFA and CONMEBOL

Referring to the scuffle that happened after the Uruguay-Colombia match, CONMEBOL said it “strongly condemns any act of violence affecting football.” As per Daily Mail, the CONMEBOL could likely sanction Darwin Nunez. The CONMEBOL’s decision will depend on the severity of the incident that transpired after Wednesday’s semi-final.

Additionally, FIFA guidelines suggest that if a player is involved in an altercation with a fan, they could be suspended for several games.

Whatever the governing bodies decide, it is quite sure that many fans would side with the Uruguayan players after what happened at the Bank of America Stadium on Wednesday.

“Our families are in danger. We had to get into the stands ASAP to rescue our loved ones with newborn babies,” said Uruguayan defender Jose Maria Gimenez, referring to the post-match scuffle. Hence, there will always be a loyal fanbase to empathize with Nunez and others who took a desperate measure at that desperate time.