Video: Uruguay players went after referees following elimination
Uruguay were eliminated from the 2022 World Cup on Friday in heartbreaking fashion, and the behavior of some players after the match is sure to be closely reviewed by FIFA.
Uruguay failed to advance beyond the group stage despite beating Ghana 2-0. South Korea scored a goal in stoppage time to defeat Portugal, which resulted in Portugal winning Group H and South Korea advancing as the runner-up. Uruguay and South Korea both finished with 4 points and a goal differential of 0, but South Korea advanced based on total goals scored. Had Uruguay netted another goal against Ghana, they would have held the tiebreaker and finished as the runner-up in Group H.
After they were eliminated, several Uruguayan players angrily confronted the referees who worked the match. Edinson Cavani and other players shouted in the faces of the officials and essentially chased them to the locker room. One player shoved a ref in the back as the official was walking away. You can see the video below:
Uruguay players follow the game officials into the tunnel after the final whistle pic.twitter.com/bVCIXKM2RW
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 2, 2022
There were a couple of plays in the second half where Uruguayan players felt they were fouled but did not get the call. On one, which you can see below, Urugay thought Cavani was fouled in the box and should have been awarded a penalty kick.
Uruguay calls for a penalty on this challenge in a box, but none is given by the referee pic.twitter.com/RiYUqxhm2A
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 2, 2022
FOX analyst Clint Dempsey said during post-match coverage that he agreed with Uruguay that a penalty kick should have been given.
Even if the frustration was warranted, getting physical with a referee is a serious issue. FIFA will almost certainly sanction Uruguay over the incident.
