FIFA disciplinary chiefs issued a double snub to World Cup hosts Brazil yesterday by rejecting an appeal for captain Thiago Silva’s semi-final suspension to be overturned as well as dismissing calls for retrospective action against Colombia defender Juan Camilo Zuniga.
A statement from FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee said no action would be taken against Zuniga for his tackle which left Brazil striker Neymar with a tournament-ending back injury.
The statement said the committee “deeply regrets the incident and the serious consequences on Neymar’s health.”
But Zuniga could not be punished because the incident had been seen by the match officials at the time, a statement said.
“We wish Neymar a prompt and complete recovery as we wish the same for all players who have sadly been ruled out of the World Cup through injury,” it added.
The statement emphasised that even though Neymar had suffered a serious injury in the incident, a fractured vertebrae, it could not have a bearing on how Zuniga’s case should be handled.
“It is important to note that the conditions by which the FIFA Disciplinary Committee can intervene in any incident have to be considered independently of the consequences of that incident, such as an unfortunate injury suffered by a player,” the disciplinary committee statement said.
Meanwhile, a request by the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) to rescind Silva’s yellow card, which would clear him to play in Tuesday’s semi-final against Germany, was given short shrift.
Disciplinary action could only be applied retrospectively in cases of mistaken identity where a referee shows a yellow or red card to the wrong player.
