Former Manchester United striker Edinson Cavani has called for referee Daniel Siebert to be 'put in jail' following Uruguay's controversial World Cup exit. The 35-year-old Valencia forward was incensed after his side were eliminated from the tournament despite a 2-0 victory over Ghana, with South Korea progressing on goals scored.
Cavani was among several Uruguay players who confronted Siebert after the match, protesting the referee's decision not to award a penalty for what they believed was a foul on Cavani by Daniel Amartey. The striker was seen punching a VAR monitor and received a yellow card for his protests.
In an interview with El Larguero, Cavani said: 'They have to put him in jail. But if they penalise me for hitting the VAR, the referee, for having taken us out of the World Cup, they have to put him in jail.' He argued that Siebert had made 'errors' despite the presence of VAR and cameras.
Cavani also expressed concern about potential sanctions from FIFA, saying: 'It worries me, because it would be out of competition with my teammates, my club and my team.' However, he added that footballers' reactions should be 'a little more forgiven' given the passion involved.
The comments come after FIFA launched an investigation into the post-match scenes, with teammate Jose Maria Gimenez facing a potential ban for elbowing a FIFA official. Cavani is now focused on Valencia's Spanish Super Cup campaign in Saudi Arabia.
