June 24, (THEWILL) – CONCACAF, the governing body for soccer in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean, has announced the suspension of United States duo, Weston McKennie and Sergino Dest, as well as Mexico defenders, Cesar Montes and Gerardo Arteaga, for their “on-field player misconduct” during the Nations League semi-final match.
McKennie and Montes received four-match suspensions, while Dest and Arteaga were banned for three matches including an automatic one-match ban. The tensions escalated during the game, leading to Montes’ dismissal and the United States being reduced to 10 men when McKennie received a red card following a melee. The situation further spiraled out of control, resulting in the ejections of Dest and Arteaga, and the match being paused due to homophobic chants from the crowd.
Despite the disruptions, the United States emerged victorious with a 3-0 win over Mexico, thanks to a double from Christian Pulisic.
Notably, McKennie and Dest are not part of the United States squad for the upcoming Gold Cup, while Montes and Arteaga have been included in Mexico’s roster. However, it remains unclear whether the missed games will count towards the players’ suspensions.
In addition to the player suspensions, CONCACAF has also imposed an undisclosed fine on the football federations of both countries, cautioning them against future incidents during CONCACAF national team competitions.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
