“It’s disgraceful" - Liverpool star told he could get 'extended bans' following behavior at FIFA World Cup
Former Leeds United attacker Noel Whelan has claimed that Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez could get 'multiple extended bans' following his poor behavior during Uruguay's FIFA World Cup encounter against Ghana.
Nunez was spotted stamping on the penalty spot before Andre Ayew stepped up to take the spot-kick. The attacker was shown a yellow card for his behavior.
DARWIN NUNEZ CARESSING THE PENALTY SPOT FOR GHANA https://t.co/DCXOlj3KfO
Ayew, however, missed the penalty and Uruguay ultimately won the match 2-0. But both sides were knocked out of the FIFA World Cup as South Korea got the better of Portugal 2-1 in the other Group H match.
Whelan slammed the Liverpool attacker for the incident, terming it 'disgraceful'. He even called for the officials to brandish red cards for such incidents.
“It’s disgraceful from Nunez. It’s dishonest and completely blatant – he is not even trying to hide what he is doing. I would like to see officials make an example of players who are caught red-handed cheating – and give them red cards. Going to 10 men and getting banned might make them think twice,” Whelan told Football Insider.
He further added that similar behavior from Nunez could get him and Liverpool in trouble and the player could even get 'multiple extended bans'.
“You can see they are clearly willing to risk a yellow to give their team some kind of advantage. Nunez has a horrible side to him. He’s a brilliant player, although we haven’t seen them best of him at the World Cup, but he has a nasty edge to his game.
“Klopp and the Liverpool coaches are going to have a difficult time controlling him and stopping him getting stupid yellows and reds. He is out of order at times, and that petulance is a problem. I fully expect him to get a few red cards and multiple extended bans over the next few seasons,” he added.
Liverpool's Darwin Nunez fails to score at FIFA World Cup as Uruguay suffer early exit
Darwin Nunez joined Liverpool in an €80 million move from Benfica this summer. He endured a slow start to life in England but eventually picked up pace to score nine goals for the Reds across competitions before the FIFA World Cup-induced break.
Portugal and South Korea are through to the last 16!
Uruguay and Ghana are going home.
Reaction on @BBCiPlayer. listen on @BBCSounds and get more on the @BBCSport app 
The final Group H table...
✅ Portugal and South Korea are through to the last 16!
❌ Uruguay and Ghana are going home.
📺 Reaction on @BBCiPlayer. listen on @BBCSounds and get more on the @BBCSport app 📲
#BBCFootball #BBCWorldCup https://t.co/IOtnsvLzsw
A lot was expected of him in Qatar but he disappointed on all fronts. Uruguay scored just two goals in their group-stage campaign and none of those came off Nunez's boots. The South American giants eventually finished third in Group H behind Portugal and South Korea to get knocked out.
Nunez was also ineffective up front and failed to pose any sort of threat to the opposition defenses. He will now possibly return to the club to prepare for the season's restart after the World Cup.