FIFA is weighing up potential sanctions relating to incidents after the Uruguay vs Ghana match, with Edinson Cavani and Jose Maria Gimenez facing punishments.
The Uruguayan FA (AUF) could also face action and they are fearing repercussions like in 2014.
If, as expected, the players are handed bans numbered in matches not time, the good news for their clubs is that Gimenez (Atletico Madrid) and Cavani (Valencia) would be suspended only for international games.
The 2014 precedent
In 2014, Luis Suarez, for his biting incident, was given a series of sanctions which included a four-month ban from all football-related activities.
This type of ban is exactly what Uruguay – and perhaps more so Valencia and Atletico Madrid – are fearing as a worst-case scenario.
However, this would be an extreme reaction and it remains unlikely. There are very few examples of such bans in football history and many believe that, even in Suarez‘s case, it was grossly excessive.
The Suarez ban was so extreme that it was challenged at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The CAS upheld most aspects of the punishment, however, but with one crucial nuance which alleviated one of the most severe elements.
The court ruled that the four-month suspension from football-related activity was to be only applied to competing in matches. This meant that Suarez was allowed to train with his new club Barcelona, but couldn’t make his debut until October.
Credit: marca.com
