A BRAZILIAN goalkeeper who used his mobile phone during a match as a PR stunt in collaboration with Uber has been suspended for acting against the “ethics of the sport”.
Atletico Paranaense goalkeeper Santos was filmed using his mobile phone in a match against Atletico Minero on May 13.
Santos, 28, has now been suspended for one match by the Superior Tribunal of Sports Justice in Brazil.
The suspension is down to a rule in which players are banned from “any conduct contrary to discipline or sporting ethics not typified by other rules of the code”.
Atletico Paranaense were fined £10,000 for helping to organise the PR stunt.
The initiative was planned by the club and ride-sharing company Uber as part of a campaign to increase awareness of the dangers of driving whist using a mobile phone.
The goalkeeper told reporters at the time: “What I did on the pitch is the same as what thousands of people do every day in their cars.
“The only difference is that being involved in a traffic accident it much more dangerous than letting in a goal.”
Santos’ side Atletico Paranaense went on to concede two goals in the Brazilian Championship A Series match as his side lost 2-1.
The goalkeeper will now miss his side’s match against Vitoria on Sunday.
