FC Juarez and Mexico international midfielder Marco Fabian has been suspended for 10 days and fined an undisclosed amount for his participation in an unsanctioned party after posts on social media showed the former Chivas and Eintracht Frankfurt man drinking and violating an assortment of COVID-19 norms.
"There was a [fine] and Marco has been informed of it," said Juarez president Guillermo Cantu on Thursday. "Breaking protocol benefits no one and we need to be clear, we're in the middle of a pandemic."
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Videos posted to Instagram showed Fabian in the company of Venezuelan singer DJ Adso doing shots of tequila only days after Juarez lost its third consecutive match, pushing them down to 16th place and only one point above the Mexican league's worst performers, Pachuca and Necaxa.
"We've just finished an ugly week in which we lost three games in a row, and of course we're not happy about that, so we must show a posture of discipline," Cantu said.
Following stints in Germany, MLS and Qatar, the 31-year-old Fabian was considered a major signing for the fledgling Bravos de Juarez club. However, in 18 games spread across the Guard1anes 2020 and 2021 seasons, the attacking midfielder has yet to score and Juarez is again in danger of missing the playoffs after finishing 13th last season.
According to Cantu, Fabian will be placed into isolation for 10 days and tested before he is allowed to rejoin his teammates, presumably during the international break in late March and before the April 2 clash against Cruz Azul.
Fabian is not the first Liga MX player disciplined for violating protocol during the COVID-19 pandemic. UNAM defender Alan Mozo, Cruz Azul striker Jonathan Rodriguez and Chivas winger Uriel Antuna have been a few of the bigger names called out for unsanctioned gatherings during the health crisis, which has claimed over 193,000 lives in Mexico alone.