MEXICO CITY (AP) — Nahuel Guzmán, a goalkeeper for the Mexican club Tigres of Nuevo Leon, was suspended 11 games and fined for pointing a laser at fellow goalie Esteban Andrada during a tournament match last weekend, Liga MX announced Thursday.
The 38-year-old Guzmán is recovering from right knee surgery and was in the visiting team’s box at the BBVA stadium in Monterrey last Saturday during the first half when he pointed the laser in the direction of Andrada, a fellow Argentine and the starting goalkeeper for Rayados.
Monterrey’s sports president, Jose Antonio Noriega, went to the box and took away the laser in the first half of the match, which ended in a 3-3 draw.
In addition to the suspension and fine, Guzmán must do unspecified community work.
This is the first time in the history of Mexican soccer that a player has been sanctioned for pointing a laser at a rival. The 2014 Apertura final between América and Tigres was stopped momentarily because a fan was aiming a laser at players.
Guzmán, who was on Argentina’s roster for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, will miss the rest of the Clausura tournament because of the suspension. It’s not clear when he will be healthy enough to play.
The fine of Guzmán was one of several stemming from the match.
Tigres was fined an unspecified amount for the behavior of its fans. A Tigres fan could be seen urinating in a glass and throwing it on Rayados fans in video posted on social media.
Andrada received a fine for a post on his Instagram account in which he made homophobic comments about Guzmán.
And Monterrey was also fined over fan behavior. A video posted on social media showed a Rayados fan throwing liquid at forward André-Pierre Gignac and making an obscene gesture.
Without revealing names or the teams they supported, the Disciplinary Commission of Liga MX said two fans would be banned from attending league matches, although it did not say for how long.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
