Atletico Madrid’s Jose Maria Gimenez will be back at the earliest opportunity from the World Cup after Uruguay exited the competition at the group stage, a small silver lining in terms of the fitness of their defence. He might not be able to play when he does return though.
Uruguay suffered a controversial penalty decision against Portugal in their second game, before being denied one of their own against Ghana in their final game.
As they exited on goals scored, Uruguay’s players were irate, not least Gimenez. His rant caught on camera could land him trouble after he insulted the referees following the match.
❗️ Josema Giménez after the game: “They [the referees] are all a bunch of thieves these sons of b*tches. Yes, record me. Son of a b*tch.”
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) December 2, 2022
That could carry a three-game suspension, but as a melee ensued, Gimenez was also caught potentially assaulting an official. Seen potentially elbowing the Director of Competitions, it may land him a suspension five times as grave.
Watch: #URU CB Jose María Giménez after full-time during the argument with the ref’s was seen elbowing the Director of Competitions of FIFA in the head. pic.twitter.com/bDG4yXo8qm
— Underdog Soccer (@Underdog_Soccer) December 3, 2022
Should the referee include it in his match report, or if the official makes a report on it himself, the punishment for ‘assaulting’ a referee carries a sentence of 15 games or an ‘adequate’ period of time, as per Mundo Deportivo. Elbows are listed as one of the actions that is included in assault.
It is not yet clear whether a ban would be applied solely for international matches or if it may apply at club level too. The most obvious example was Luis Suarez, who was suspended for three months by FIFA from all footballing activities, preventing him from playing for Barcelona or Uruguay.
Should he suffer punishment, it could have a major impact on Atletico Madrid’s season. Gimenez is one of three options that have proved capable of strong performances in the centre of defence along with Stefan Savic and Reinildo Mandava. Losing him may force Simeone to revert to a pure 4-4-2, or rely on Felipe and Mario Hermoso, neither of whom have convinced this season.
Los Colchoneros lie outside of the top four in Spain currently, and although they are only so on goal difference, the fear of missing out will grow exponentially the longer they are out of it. Gimenez’s potential absence will be a big concern for Diego Simeone.
