A rude gesture that could prove costly
One moment. One second. And now a disciplinary file sits open on the other side of the continent.
Memphis Depay aimed a middle finger at the Argentine supporters during the first leg of the Copa Libertadores quarter-final between Corinthians and Estudiantes de La Plata, which finished 1-1. The gesture came seconds after Estudiantes had levelled.
Estudiantes wasted no time. The club went straight to CONMEBOL’s disciplinary unit, demanding sanctions against the former Barcelona and Lyon forward.
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CONMEBOL opens the case
The South American body followed suit and opened proceedings against the Dutchman.
What happens next is anyone’s guess. No automatic punishment applies to this kind of offence. The commission sets the penalty itself, weighing how serious it judges the incident. Anything is on the table, from a warning to a suspension.
In Brazil the story keeps growing. Depay is one of the league’s biggest names, and his arrival at Corinthians made plenty of noise.
Available for the second leg
Good news for his club: the case carries no immediate ban. Depay is available for the return fixture against Estudiantes on 16 September.
A semi-final place rides on that tie. With the first leg finishing 1-1, everything gets settled in an Argentine stadium the Dutchman has already had plenty of time to wind up.
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