Chile bans five players for drinking

Chile bans five players for drinking

Published Dec. 21, 2011 12:00 a.m. ET

Chile have banned five players from playing for the national team for 10 matches each after they reported back drunk following time off while on international duty last month.

Arturo Vidal, Carlos Carmona, Jorge Valdivia, Jean Beausejour and Gonzalo Jara were all found guilty of breaching team rules and handed fines in addition to their bans.

The players had been part of the squad preparing for World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Paraguay on November 11 and 15 respectively.

But during an afternoon off, they attended celebrations for the baptism of Valdivia's son, and then reported back to the team's hotel drunk.

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The ANFP issued a statement on the website which said the players had been "in an inadequate state to join up with the national team as they showed signs of having consumed alcohol".

They received the maximum penalty for the offence, which rules them out of the next round of qualifiers in June, when Chile face Bolivia and Venezuela.

Chile are fifth in the South American group, one point behind Uruguay, Argentina and Venezuela.
 

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