Snak

Javier Hernández should leave Manchester United

Hernández yesterday re-tweeted a Sky Sports article suggesting he should leave the club due to the limited first-team appearances the striker has made this season. The article also contained quotes from Hernández’s international team-mate, ex-Arsenal striker Carlos Vela, who stated “there will be big teams in Europe and England wanting him”, should ‘Chicharito’ decide to leave Manchester. Although Hernandez later removed the re-tweet from his account, he has potentially put a question mark against his Manchester United future and I don’t believe that is a particularly bad move by the 25 year old Mexican.

Vela is further quoted in the article as describing Hernández as “one of the best finishers in England”, a statement it would be hard to disagree with. It’s obvious that Hernández would improve every squad in the country apart from maybe United’s rivals from the across the city. You look at Chelsea where they have an ageing Samuel Eto’o competing with Fernando Torres, who was allegedly ‘back’ (again) until he was subbed after 60 minutes against Newcastle after completing only three passes and not even getting a single shot off. Demba Ba also makes the odd cameo appearance but if I was José Mourinho, I would much rather have Hernández leading my line than any of the strikers currently at Chelsea. ‘Chicharito’ also has seven goals in 12 appearances against Chelsea, signing him would be one way to put an end to that incredible record.

Even with a rejuvenated Oliver Giroud leading Arsenal’s line this season, Hernández would surely be a player Wenger would want in his squad. A long term injury to Giroud would certainly end any hope of Arsenal winning their first Premier League title since the 2003-04 season because quite simply, Nicholas Bendtner is nowhere near good enough to start at a club challenging for the title. A move for Hernández would increase the options Wenger has at his disposal, take the pressure off Giroud a little and prevent a full blown meltdown from Arsenal fans if Giroud did ever pick up a knock. Hernández would only leave Manchester if he was guaranteed first team football, something that wouldn’t be guaranteed with Giroud in such fine form at the moment, he is however more likely to edge Giroud out of a starting XI than he is Robin van Persie.

A player of Hernández’s quality deserves to be playing Champions League football, which is why I’m unsure whether he would consider a move to Spurs. Although it hasn’t quite worked out for Roberto Soldado from open play yet, he should be given time to settle into his new club as his record in La Liga suggests that he should posses enough talent to score regularly in the Premier League. With Abebayor in exile and Defoe not appearing to be Andre Villas-Boas’ cup of tea, if the Soldado move doesn’t work out over the coming few months, a January move for Hernández may be on the cards. As Carlos Vela has stated, there would be interest in ‘Chicharito’ from across Europe. A.S Roma who have cash left over from the sales of Lamela, Marquinhos, Osvaldo and Bojan, may look to add to their firepower up top as they look to continue their excellent start to the season and hopefully pick up their first Serie A title in 13 years. With Lewandowski certainly leaving Dortmund in the summer, Klopp may turn to Hernández as he looks for a replacement who he wouldn’t have to break the bank to acquire.

Hernández is reaching the peak of his career and with the added pressure of it being a World Cup year, he has to be playing regular football. With only one start in the Premier League to his name so far this season, it may be time for the ‘Little Pea’ to bloom elsehwere.

The Repechaje Woes

Fernando Muslera’s foot injury opens up an interesting quagmire with regards to the upcoming playoffs Uruguay will take part in as they try to book their passage to the 2014 World Cup.

In all probability, Martín Silva will replace Muslera for the two pivotal games Uruguay will play with Jordan (November 13th and 20th). But an initial glance at the 29 players selected for these two playoff games makes me wonder what else can go wrong? I’m not too worried about Silva who played in the Tahiti game during the Confederations Cup tournament. But why is Juan Castillo still on this squad? Seriously, an injury of this type to your starting goalkeeper is the reason why you can’t have guys like Juan Castillo even as your third string keeper. And Tabárez of all people should know this. Surely he remembers what happened to Argentina’s Nery Pumpido who broke his leg against the USSR in the 1990 World Cup. Pumpido was replaced by Sergio Goycochea who helped Argentina to a Finals’ run. While this worked out well for Argentina – well all except losing the final – I find it extremely difficult to believe such a nightmare scenario can have a happy ending for Uruguay due in part to player selections where even the third string keeper is a questionable selection on this national team.

Probably because the rival is Jordan, no one will really care about this “What If” scenario but lets jump ahead, lets presuppose that Uruguay do indeed qualify for the 2014 World Cup and an injury of this type reoccurs, but what if Silva also goes down to an injury in between now and June, does anyone really feel safe with Juan Castillo manning the post even in a fantasy scenario?

And injuries to your starting goalkeeper aren’t the only worries for Uruguay who is still not in the World Cup. There’s Martín Cácares who along with Sebastián Coates have not been the pictures of good health… add Diego Forlán’s indifferent form and suddenly Uruguay’s potential 23 man squad does not inspire confidence.

While I’m not minimizing the playoff matches with Jordan, in fact, unlike Costa Rica in 2009, Jordan is an unknown entity to me, I hope like many that Uruguay will get the job done. So with this in mind, I’m looking ahead to the World Cup, presupposing of course Uruguay gets in. Defensively it’s clear who Tabárez will select. Lugano, Giménez, Godín, Cáceres, Fucile, the two Pereiras along with Andrés Scotti will all be selected. Add maybe Alejandro Silva and Gastón Silva if you think they’ll make the cut (Personally I gotta see it to believe it).

And then we know guys like Gargano, Diego Pérez, Arévalo-Ríos, Tata González will also get selected.

So then this Blog got to thinking – something we rarely do – that maybe some key positions need a serious rethink. I enlisted Nico’s opinion on this, why you ask? Well because this is what makes this Blog such a horror to enjoy… But the question has to be asked, does this tentative 29 man squad named by Tabárez have the players that will make up the 23 man squad for the World Cup? We don’t know. But we still decided to have a bit of fun, so with that out of the way, the Blog nitpicks some key positions and wonders out loud whether Tabárez is right or whether an upgrade is needed, give or take a position or two.

RESERVE KEEPER

Since Muslera’s injury is fresh on the mind, lets start with Muslera’s back-up. Right now, Martín Silva is the keeper who inherits Muslera’s spot when Muslera is not around. The other keepers OWT usually selects is Manya Bust Juan Castillo and more recently Rodrigo Muñoz who like Silva also plays professionally in Paraguay.

Nico agreed Silva is the way to go but also ventured to say that Liverpool’s De Amores should be Uruguay’s 3rd string keeper. Here I think Tabárez is half-right. I think Silva is fine but I would select the man who De Amores replaced as Uruguay’s Number One at the Under-20 level; Jonathan Mathías Cubero. Cubero was a bottle of nerves during the Under-20 South American Youth tournament but talent never dies, he was selected as the best keeper of the Under-17 World Cup tournament in 2011. I still think Cubero has a better upside than De Amores or Danubio’s Ichazo, the bigger question with regards to Cubero is whether that bravado we saw in 2011 is still there whereas Nico who selected De Amores offered a warning, “but please don’t pick him for penalties” which made me wonder if De Amores is lacking in any particular area why bother selecting him at all?

ENGANCHE

Since this Blog began, we have always wondered out loud whether Uruguay should play with an enganche (playmaker). Playing with one would enable Uruguay to have a player willing to make that extra pass, the playmaker who can kick-start Uruguay’s offense. Nico went with you know who; Nacho González. I’m not questioning his selection, as of today though Nacho is still not sure to even make the upcoming November Clásico, and truth be told I just don’t think Nacho is healthy enough to make it to the World Cup.

ENGANCHE OF CHOICE

I’m also not completely convinced that Uruguay possesses a clear playmaker ready to be inserted into Uruguay’s starting XI, it may be OWT is right, better to play with Cebolla in a pseudo-reading of this position. If pushed against the wall I would say De Arrascaeta maybe… but Nico Lodeiro with his hot and cold game might be another possibility, who knows? Here I would say the search continues and a lot depends on what anyone looks for in a playmaker, is it what Forlán did in 2010, what Ramírez could do one day, or is it having faith in the abilities of players like Nacho González and De Arrascaeta? Sadly the answer to this question won’t be answered in the playoffs.

NEW HOPE

De Arrascaeta, the Defensor playmaker named after a race-horse came up again, can he be viewed as a possible “New Hope” for 2014? In the 2010 World Cup, that New Hope was Nico Lodeiro, unfortunately for Uruguay, that didn’t exactly turn out the way we all expected it would by now. But which player can we put in the X-Wing Fighter and send him to destroy the Death Star? What I mean is which youth player would you bet is ready to be inserted as a starter in case everything goes to shit?

Nico thinks De Arrascaeta, Me I think Nico López is more than ready in the event Suárez goes down. OWT is probably thinking “neither” and his only youth inclusion will be José María Giménez to cover-up Lugano’s errors. Here I think the Blog is right, we need another youth player just in case things don’t turn out the way we want, whether it’s De Arrascaeta, Laxalt or Nico López doesn’t really matter.

COOLER KING

Moving on, we come to the Cooler King. The Cooler King is the sub who “cools” down the game. You’re winning, you got a clear advantage, you need that one player who can prevent the opponent from day-dreaming of a come-back. OWT usually goes with Álvaro González, sometimes Ramírez and has experimented with Forlán who has looked dreadful from the bench in my opinion.

I think OWT should use Ramírez who has looked better in limited minutes whereas Nico thinks Forlán would be better functioning sort of as a super-sub. I don’t know here who’s right or who’s wrong. I can see why you’d want to bring on guys like González or Eguren but doing so is usually done to protect a thin lead. Ramírez is the way forward. Think offense, go for the win.

FALSE 9

Forlán in my opinion works better as a False 9 but he hasn’t been that Forlán in a while which is why OWT might be going with Stuani in this position. The False 9 should be able to drop back, shore-up the midfield, make the extra pass.

Nico agrees OWT is right here, I think Under-20 player Diego Rolán would be better teaming up with Suárez and Cavani. I’m not too worried whether he’s playing right now, given his age and all-around game I think he’ll be more than ready once the World Cup starts. But since Nico went with OWT, advantage goes to Tabárez on this one.

Rock Star 9

Finally we come to the one position we all agreed upon, Me, Nico and OWT. And that position is Uruguay’s Number 9. It took Uruguay years to understand that all successful teams barring 2010 Spain play with a Rock Star 9. The Number 9 has to score, has to be detrimental in matches. You can’t have your Number 9 being the set-up man which was what happened to Francescoli in ’86 & ’90 and Recoba in 2002.Your Number 9 has to be a genius Rock Star. He sets the tempo for how the game will be played, think Maradona in ’86 against England. Sure if he can pass the ball as did Diego in ’86, you got it made in the shade but the Number 9 has to be the player that strikes fear in the hearts of opponents. And this is where Tabárez has been right since 2007. Suárez despite his many nutmegs and the epic game we all saw in the Copa America Final is a Number 9 for the ages. Think Messi but with an edge, OK Messi is probably better but Messi wouldn’t cross that fine line Suárez (and before him Maradona) is willing to break. And you do need that in football, you need that one player who wants to win at all costs, without that player, you’re not winning anything, certainly not the World Cup.

When the playoffs come around, the possible feel-good moment of qualifying to the World Cup will be momentary. The real problems Uruguay has been masking since the end of the last World Cup will start up soon after. Many of the factors of what makes a team a winner depends largely on who gets chosen and who gets excluded. Hopefully the right selections will be made whether we can agree with them or not. Hopefully the third string keeper whether it is indeed Castillo won’t even have to play. Hopefully more of the young bucks who impressed in the Under-20 World Cup will somehow find their way unto the NT… well, we’ll see about that. But before we can begin to worry about the World Cup there’s still the silly matter of actually getting in.

August Town blank leaders Humble Lion

CLARENDON, Jamaica — Kevin ´Pele´ Wilson scored with his first touch of the game to help August Town upstage high-flying Humble Lion 2-0 in yesterday´s Red Stripe Premier League game at the Effortville Community Centre.
The veteran striker entered the field as a 48th-minute substitute and made an instant impact, curling a low free kick around the wall to give the visitors a commanding 2-0 lead.

Larone Russell had earlier shot the promoted side into a 38th-minute lead from an acute angle.

Humble Lion, who entered the contest as the league leaders, had a number of opportunities to scratch the scoresheet — even before going behind — but failed to cause any real trouble for opposing goalie Kevin Graham. The victory means August Town retain their unbeaten start to the season and improved their points total to 10, just two behind Humble Lion.

Coach Max Straw praised his team for a disciplined performance. "Our intention was to score the first goal and manage the game from there. I think we did that well today," said Straw.

Humble Lion Coach Geoffrey Maxwell said his team paid the price for poor finishing.

"We a got seven simple goals, tap-ins, and didn´t take any. August Town got two and scored. We should have been leading 4-1 by half-time. But that´s football. If you don´t score, you pay the price."

Cavalier edge Tivoli 1-0 at Stadium East

CAVALIER SC maintained their encouraging start to the season following a 1-0 win over Tivoli Gardens FC in the Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL) match at the Stadium East field yesterday.

Girvon Brown´s free kick in the 13th minute beat Tivoli Gardens goalkeeper Edsel Scott on a rain-drenched afternoon in Kingston.

Tivoli midfielder Keammar Daley had a penalty kick saved by Cavalier goalkeeper Jovell Plunkett in the 77th minute of play.

Cavalier coach David Lalor said his players "stuck to the task" under the testing, saturated "field conditions that affected both teams".

Tivoli Gardens coach Glendon Bailey, who saw his team fall to its first loss of the season, lamented that "Cavalier is like our jinx team and they always give us trouble" but "I´m disappointed" with the result. With the win, Cavalier moved to 10 points, while Tivoli remained on nine.

Torrential rain lashed the venue, particularly throughout the first half, but it did not seem to affect Brown´s accuracy as he beat Scott.

Norman Bailey got a good chance to double the lead in the 20th minute. The hard working player neatly cut inside from the left but hammered a right-footer directly at Scott, who parried the ball to safety.

The rain ceased in the second half and Tivoli took the game by the scruff of the neck, desperately searching for the equalising goal.

Tivoli´s Ranike Anderson was culpable of missing a fabulous opportunity when he rose well to head a cross over the bar early in the half.

Tivoli Gardens kept pressing and won a penalty kick when Sean Fogah bundled over substitute Jamoy Sibblies with a clumsy challenge inside the 18-yard box.

Daley, who kicked wide with his effort during the penalty shootout loss to Waterhouse in the recent Flow Champions Cup final, saw his effort comfortably saved by Plunkett.

Despite the miss, Tivoli did not let up on the attacks, but the hosts, who were mostly getting out their half to spring counter-attacks, held firm and secured maximum from the encounter.

Rivoli conquer Boys´ Town

Boys´ Town 0 Rivoli United 1 Hodges (21st -penalty)

RIVOLI United debut goalkeeper Shannon Bartley made a spectacular blinding save in the 76th minute to give his team a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Boys´ Town in their Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL) game at Collie Smith Drive, yesterday.

Both Boys´ Town and Rivoli began the round needing a win to prop up their mediocre RSPL showing of 10th and 11th from the bottom, respectively, in the standings with five points from one win and two drawn games apiece.

Despite playing at home, it was Rivoli who played with greater urgency and came closest to scoring. Boys´ Town, on the other hand, were slow off the mark but managed to keep the visitors in check, although they had greater possession.

In one of their attacks on the Boys´ Town´s goal Rivoli were rewarded with a penalty in the 21st minute and skipper Devon Hodges converted from the spot.
Falling behind seemed to knock some life into Boys´ Town´s play, but Rivoli continued to move faster to the ball. Nonetheless, the Boys´ Town defence of Asrick Samuels, Nicholas McMorris, Wayne Ellis, and Victor Thompson stood resolute to prevent further damage.

While the first half belonged to the visitors, Boys´ Town, as is the norm for them, came out for the second session with greater urgency and captured the midfield with some intelligent passing that opened scoring chances of which, again the hosts failed to take advantage.

We weren’t complacent, says Maxwell

CLARENDON, Jamaica — Coach Geoffrey Maxwell refused to blame complacency for Humble Lion´s 2-0 defeat to August Town in Sunday´s Red Stripe Premier League encounter at the Effortville Community Centre.

Goals from Larone Russell and Kevin ´Pele´ Wilson, either side of half-time handed Humble Lion their second defeat in six games.

But Maxwell said his players were by no means in a relaxed mood because they have been sitting at the top of the table since the start of the season.
"No, I don´t think we were complacent," he said. "I honestly felt we trained well (in the) week and thought we would have won the game. We got the opportunities to win, but just didn´t score them."

The defeat, which was their second at home, means Humble Lion were replaced at the summit by Montego Bay United, who scored a come-from-behind 2-1 win at Arnett Gardens.

While Maxwell thinks there is enough time to get back on track, he warned that performances like this will not get them far.

"It is early days," said Maxwell, "but if you come and fool around you are going to be punished. We got seven tap-in goals, not shots, and we didn´t put away any, so we paid the price."

"Give credit to August Town," he added. "I thought they played well. They got three chances and scored two. We scored none. That´s what football is about."

Tuffy punishes Sporting Central from the spot

Waterhouse......................2 Anderson (56th, 63rd penalties) Sporting Central................1 Hylton (3rd)

FRESH from a five-day trial stint in the USA with Indiana 11 of Indiana, national striker Jermaine ´Tuffy´ Anderson hit a brace for Waterhouse to propel them to a 2-1 come-from-behind win over Sporting Central Academy (SCA) at Drewsland on Monday night.

The victory in the sixth round of the Red Stripe Premier League moved Waterhouse to 10 points in a three-way tie for third place.

Before the spectators had fully settled into their seats Cory Hylton nipped in behind the Waterhouse makeshift defence to boot Sporting Central into the lead on three minutes.

And from then on the Clarendon-based outfit continued to pile the pressure on the hosts, who never really got into the game until the second half during which time goalkeeper Kelso Cousins was called upon to execute several good saves to keep the game competitive for a Waterhouse revival.

One change at the start of the resumption made the difference to the Waterhouse team, as journeyman Weston Forrest replaced the hopelessly off-coloured top link Errol McLean. The introduction of the former Norman Manley standout made a huge difference and Waterhouse immediately began to flow through the industry of Forrest, Marvin Morgan and the hard-running Hughan Gray on the right.

This unsettled SCA, who began to fade and create waterways in their defence to let through the Waterhouse strikers.

The first real alarm for the visitors was created on the edge of their penalty area when a well-crafted free kick by Anderson beat the Sporting defence all ends up and was thought to have crossed the line. However, referee Courtney Campbell did not get a confirmation from his assistant Richard Washington and play continued with murmuring from the local supporters.

With their tails up, the seemingly disallowed goal only served to egg them on more passionately and two minutes after they earned a penalty following a handled ball by SCA defender Linval Lewis in the area. Anderson made no mistake from the spot.

This only served to drive the Waterhouse team more and seven minutes later they took the lead after Forrest won an appeal for a tackle from
behind by Andre Morrison. Anderson was again called forward and was even more clinical.

Further chances were created but the score remained unchanged to the final whistle.

Teams:

Waterhouse — Kelson Cousins, Vinroy Hayles, Nicholi Finlayson, Oshane Roberts, Damarley Samuels, Hughan Gray, Marvin Morgan (Troy Reid 85th), Hugh Howell, Nicodie Haughton, Jermaine Anderson, Errol McNeil (Weston Forrest 46th)

Subs not used: R McCallum, R Henry, O Walcott, M Ricketts

Booked: Anderson (36th), Hayles, Samuels (34th), Morgan (77th)



Sporting Central Academy — Sanchez Lloyd, Ricardo Thompson, Andre Morrison, Linval Lewis, Kemar Drake, Kadian Wynter, Jamoly Powell, Gregory Lewis (Richard Reid 68th), Francois Swaby, Dale Watson (Michael Moreland 90th+) Cory Hylton.

Subs not used: M Parcells, H Nugent, D Campbell, D McLeod, C Henry

Booked: Lloyd (9th), Lewis (56th)

Referee: Courtney Campbell

Assistant Referees: Richard Washington, Terrence Mckenzie

Fourth Official:Derron Davy

Match Commissary: Charles Barrett

Uruguay makes last preparations for trip to the Middle East

Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez made known on Tuesday the list of 24 players who will play in the playoff against Jordan for a spot in the World Cup.

The list is headed by Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani as well as veterans like captain Diego Lugano and striker Diego Forlan.

The coach will be without goalkeeper Fernando Muslera who broke a toe over the weekend while playing for his club, Galatasaray of Turkey. They will now depend on Martin Silva, who plays for Olimpia in Paraguay.

Uruguay finished fifth in the World Cup qualifiers and will have to go to a playoff for a fourth consecutive time. The first-leg will be played in Amman on November 13 and the second-leg on the 20th in Montevideo.

Players who play in South American clubs and the coaches will depart on Friday headed for Istanbul, where they will join the majority of the players who play in Europe.

Team:

Goalkeepers: Martín Silva (Olimpia, PAR), Rodrigo Muñoz (Libertad, PAR), Juan Castillo (Peñarol, URU).

Defense: Diego Lugano (West Bromwich, ENG), Diego Godín (Atlético Madrid, SPA), José María Giménez (Atlético de Madrid, SPA), Andrés Scotti (Nacional, URU), Martín Cáceres (Juventus, ITA), Jorge Fucile (Oporto, POR), Alejandro Silva (Olimpia, PAR), Maximiliano Pereira (Benfica, POR).

Midfielders: Walter Gargano (Parma, ITA), Diego Pérez (Bologna, ITA), Egidio Arévalo Ríos (Chicago Fire, USA), Álvaro González (Lazio, ITA), Álvaro Pereira (Inter, ITA), Cristian Rodríguez (Atlético de Madrid, SPA), Nicolás Lodeiro (Botafogo, BRA), Gastón Ramírez (Southampton, ENG).

Strikers: Diego Forlán (Internacional, BRA), Luis Suárez (Liverpool, ENG), Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint Germain, FRA), Cristhian Stuani (Espanyol, SPA), Abel Hernández (Palermo, ITA).

Youth movement in Ecuador

Young left back Cristian Ramirez, from club Fortuna Dusseldorf in Germany, was called-up on Tuesday to the Ecuador national team for the first time ahead of the friendly with Argentina and Honduras on November 15 and 19 respectively.

Midfielder Fernando Gaibor, who will also be making his debut for the tricolor, as well as defender Jairo Campos, again taken into account after overcoming injuries that sidelined him from the team recently, were also called.

The coach of Ecuador, Colombian Reinaldo Rueda, highlighted the work of Ramirez, who has played for the U-17 and U-20 teams and since 2013 has been with Fortuna Dusseldorf in the second division in Germany.

With these friendlies the tricolor open preparation for the World Cup next year.

The list of players also includes defender Walter Ayovi (Pachuca, Mexico) and midfielders Segundo Castillo (Al-Hilal, Saudi Arabia), Cristian Noboa (Dynamo, Russia), Joao Rojas (Cruz Azul, Mexico), Antonio Valencia (Manchester United, England) and Renato Ibarra (Vittese, Netherlands), as well as strikers Felipe Caicedo (Lokomotiv, Russia), Fidel Martinez (Tijuana, Mexico) and Jefferson Montero (Morelia, Mexico).

Rueda confirmed that Ecuador will play a friendly on March 5 in their preparation program, which could add a total of six games before the World Cup, one of them possibly against Holland.

"That´s the game (with the Netherlands) that is almost ready for May 17," said the strategist, noting that it depends on the "draw (World Cup) because if Holland is in the same group as us, then we won´t want to play" each other.

Team:

- Goalkeepers: Máximo Banguera (Barcelona) and Alexander Domínguez (Liga de Quito).

- Defense: Juan Carlos Paredes, Jairo Campos and Frickson Erazo (Barcelona), Jorge Guagua (Deportivo Quito), Gabriel Achillier and Oscar Bagüí (Emelec), Cristian Ramírez (Fortuna Dusseldorf, Germany) and Walter Ayoví (Pachuca, Mexico).

- Midfielders: Segundo Castillo (Al-Hilal, Saudi Arabia), Fernando Gaibor (Emelec), Cristian Noboa (Dínamo, Russia), Joao Rojas (Cruz Azul, Mexico), Luis Saritama (Liga de Quito), Antonio Valencia (Manchester United, England) and Renato Ibarra (Vittese, Holland).

- Strikers: Jaime Ayoví (Liga de Quito), Felipe Caicedo (Lokomotiv, Russia), Fidel Martínez (Tijuana, Mexico), Jefferson Montero (Morelia, Mexico) and Enner Valencia (Emelec).

Discipline Tribunal sanctions Paulo Henrique C. de Lima (Ganso)

The Disciplinary Tribunal has today notified the Sao Paulo Football Club of the decision in regards to Mr. Paulo C. de Lima (Ganso).

"At this time the disciplinary body of CONMEBOL has sanctioned the player with a two game suspension for unsportsmanlike conduct against an opposing player in the game that the Brazilian club played against Universidad Católica on the 23rd of October."