Uruguay defender Jose Gimenez ‘could face 15-match ban’ for calling referees ‘thieves’ and ‘sons of b******’ as video appears to show him elbowing FIFA official after World Cup exit

Uruguay defender Jose Gimenez could be facing a hefty punishment after appearing to elbow a FIFA official as his nation crashed out of the World Cup.

The South American side were knocked out in Qatar at the group stage despite beating Ghana 2-0 in the final match, as South Korea’s late win over Portugal sent them through on goal difference.

And after the match, tempers flared as Uruguay’s players immediately confronted the referee in protest as they believed he had denied them two penalties – one for a foul on Darwin Nunez and the other for a foul on Edinson Cavani late in stoppage time.

Atletico Madrid’s Gimenez was one of the main instigators of the post-match melee and was seeing shoving figures around him as officials tried to split the Uruguayan players from the referees.

A video appears to show him shoving a FIFA representative in the back of the head with his elbow.

There is also further footage of him hurling insults against the match officials.

He is heard saying: “They [the referees] are all a bunch of thieves these sons of b******.

“Yes, record me. Son of a b****.”

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Spanish paper Mundo Deportivo claims Gimenez could get a 15-game international ban or a spell out of football for an adequate period of time, should the incident be reported, as elbowing is listed as a form of assault.

It is not clear whether the ban would be for 15 international games or if some of it would be carried over to his club side, Atletico Madrid, in the second half of the season.

He is certain to get a fine at the very least as a result of the video, which surfaced on social media.

Cavani’s behaviour was also called into question when footage of him knocking the VAR monitor to the floor.

“It’s terrible behaviour,” former England international Joe Cole said. “You feel your frustration when you lose games of football, but you have to keep your composure because you have a responsibility.

“The world is watching, kids are watching. You can accept a little blow up, but four or five players are around the referee, it is not a good look.”

Ian Wright, meanwhile, labelled the former Man United striker ‘horrible’.