Football
ESPN staff 7y

Chapecoense out of Copa Libertadores after fielding ineligible player

Chapecoense are out of the Copa Libertadores after being docked three points for fielding a suspended player.

CONMEBOL, South American football's governing body, imposed the deduction and awarded a 3-0 win to opponents Lanus on Tuesday.

The governing body ruled that defender Luiz Otavio had been suspended when he played in the 2-1 win over Lanus on May 17 and scored the decisive goal.

Otavio had been sent off in Chapecoense's previous game but the club claimed a lack of clear communications had led them to field him.

Chapecoense president Plinio David de Nes Filho told a news conference that both his club and CONMEBOL had made errors, while the club's legal vice-president, Luiz Antonio Pallaoro, said they would appeal against the sanction.

Brazilian club Chapecoense had qualified for the competition after they were awarded the second-tier Copa Sudamericana following a plane crash last year in which most of their players were killed.

But their hopes of a run in the Copa Libertadores appear to be over after the CONMEBOL punishment, which means they are unable to reach the knockout rounds.

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