CONMEBOL suspends coaches of Argentina and Chile for late exit from Copa America

Argentine coach Lionel Scaloni and Chilean head coach Ricardo Gareca have each been banned for one match because their teams arrived late on the pitch during the Copa America, CONMEBOL said in a statement on Friday.

Defending champions Argentina arrived late in the second half of their Copa America opener against Canada last week and coach Jesse Marsch said Scaloni’s team should be fined.

Gareca brought on a player late at half-time against Argentina on Tuesday.

The umbrella organization of sports associations announced that both coaches had been suspended for one game each because their teams had violated Articles 104 and 145 of the tournament regulations, which regulate entering the field of play “later than the scheduled start or restart time”.

They will not be allowed to sit on the bench when their teams complete the group stage of the competition on Saturday.

In addition, the Argentine and Chilean football associations were each fined $15,000.

Argentina leads Group A with six points and has already qualified for the quarter-finals. They will face Peru on Saturday, while Chile, who have just one point, will face second-placed Canada.

(Report by Javier Leira, written by Angelica Medina, edited by Fabian Cambero)