Darwin Nunez could reportedly face a lengthy ban from football that could hamper Arne Slot’s first season as Liverpool head coach.
On Wednesday night, Nunez was involved in ugly scenes with fans after Uruguay’s Copa America defeat against Colombia.
Jefferson Lerma scored the only goal of the game at the end of the first half to secure Colombia a date with Argentina in the final.
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However, the match was marred by the unsavoury scenes that followed the final whistle.
Liverpool man Nunez and several Uruguay players were seen clashing with fans in the stands.
Uruguayan outlet El Pais reported that the trouble happened near where members of the players' families were located in the ground.
Defender Jose Maria Gimenez said: “There was no police and we had to defend our families. This is the fault of two or three people who had a few too many drinks and don't know how to drink.
“Colombian fans in a certain section descended on all our families. Our families were in danger. We had to rush into the stands to remove our loved ones with tiny newborn babies.”
Now, it has been claimed that Nunez and co. could face a lengthy ban from football.
As reported by the Daily Mail, South American football’s governing body CONMEBOL will decide the severity of any sanction and FIFA could extend any suspension to domestic football, which will be a bitter blow for Liverpool's new head coach Slot.
A statement from CONMEBOL read: “There is no place for intolerance and violence on and off the field. Conmebol strongly condemns any act of violence affecting football.
“We invite everyone in the remaining days to pour all their passion into supporting their teams and to have an unforgettable celebration.”
Uruguay legend and former Liverpool man Luis Suarez added: “Obviously if someone is attacking your family you want to go and defend them but that doesn't justify the image that it created.
“We had to protect our families that were there. What I could see there was a lot of family, a lot of children of my team-mates who were trapped and things were falling on them and you felt helpless.”