Mueez Ajao
– Four Uruguay players were charged with offensive behaviour by FIFA on Monday for their angry pursuit of the referee after being eliminated from the World Cup.
– The Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) also faces an extra charge of discrimination, FIFA said without giving details.
– The Uruguay team thought they should have been awarded a penalty kick in stoppage time of their 2-0 victory over Ghana on Friday.
Also Read: Uruguay defeat Ghana but both teams are out of World Cup
– One more goal would have sent Uruguay to the round of 16 instead of South Korea.
– FIFA said Edinson Cavani, Jose Maria Gimenez, Diego Godin and Fernando Muslera face disciplinary cases for “offensive behavior and violations of the principles of fair play” and misconduct.
– Cavani, Godin and Muslera were each playing at their fourth World Cup and Gimenez was at this third.
– They were among a group of players who confronted German referee Daniel Siebert after the final whistle at Al Janoub Stadium.
– FIFA did not specify a timetable for its disciplinary committee to rule on the cases.
– FIFA also brought disciplinary charges against Serbia on Monday for alleged misconduct by players and fans including offensive chants at a World Cup match against Switzerland.
– Tensions flared in the stands and on the field in a rematch of their stormy game at the 2018 World Cup that revived ethnic Balkan rivalries.
– Switzerland were captained by Granit Xhaka in Friday’s match, and Xherdan Shaqiri scored the opening goal in a 3-2 win that eliminated Serbia.
– Both Swiss players have ethnic Albanian roots and family ties to Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in 2008.
– Serbia doesn’t recognize Kosovo’s sovereignty.
– FIFA didn’t specify which incidents at Stadium 974 led to charges relating to “misconduct of players and officials,” discrimination and “misconduct of players and officials.”
