Five Chile players have been fined and suspended for 10 matches by a disciplinary tribunal for arriving late and drunk to the team hotel before World Cup qualifying matches.
Jorge Valdivia of Palmeiras, Jean Beausejour of Birmingham City, Gonzalo Jara of West Bromwich Albion, Carlos Carmona of Atalanta and Arturo Vidal of Juventus, were in ''a state of alcoholic intemperance'' when they returned from a night out before matches against Uruguay and Paraguay in November, the tribunal ruled.
The five players had received permission to attend the baptism of Valdivia's daughter, but returned almost an hour late and in an ''inadequate state,'' according to coach Claudio Borghi.
Most of the players apologized, but Valdivia denied being drunk.
Chile lost 4-0 to Uruguay and beat Paraguay 2-0 in the subsequent matches.
Despite ejecting the players from the squad for the two games, Borghi said before the ruling on Tuesday that he was hoping for leniency.
''We'll try to make it so they can still be considered (to play),'' he said. ''We'll also have to see whether they want to come back.''
