A number of Uruguay players surrounded German referee Daniel Siebert following their 2-0 win over Ghana after waving away a late penalty claim.
Uruguay out of the World Cup on goals scoredSeidu’s stoppage-time challenge goes unpunishedPlayers surround referee at full time
WHAT HAPPENED? Daniel Siebert blew his whistle after 10 minutes of stoppage time, bringing Uruguay’s World Cup campaign to an end as they finished third in Group H. Realising that they had gone out, several players took their anger out on the officials after they failed to award Edinson Cavani a penalty following a coming together with Alidu Seidu. Both the striker and Jose Gimenez were booked after the final whistle, while one Uruguay player even tried to grab the assistant referee.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Not only does this result mark the end of Uruguay’s World Cup campaign, it also marks the end for many of their elder statesmen. Both Luis Suarez and Cavani are expected to retire from international football, as is Diego Godin who was on the bench against Ghana. A failure of epic proportions is made worse by the loss of players that have performed so well for the national team over the years.
WHAT NEXT FOR URUGUAY? They won’t be playing any further games at this World Cup, meaning their attentions must turn to filling the gaps left by those expected to retire and to get the likes of Darwin Nunez firing on the international stage ahead of the next Copa America in 2024.
