Although tournament substitution rules dictate that the Colombians would no longer be able to reinstate their original lineup players in the match once replaced by a substitute, Pekerman's decision was a calculated move, as Mondragon entered in the 85th minute, and that the team eventually won 4-1 against the Japanese.
Citing data compiled by independent visual designer James Offer of Codehesive Production, Bloomberg said fifteen of the 23-player squad have parents or grandparents who were not born in the country. The team's national coach himself, Ottmar Hitzfeld, is a German citizen.
On Wednesday, FIFA confirmed that its disciplinary committee has launched an investigation on the incident, which was caught on international television. The probe was opened just hours after the end of Tuesday's match in Natal. FIFA has reportedly asked Uruguayan team officials to provide their evidence by 8PM GMT on Wednesday.
FIFA recently announced that it would be investigating allegations of Suarez biting Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini towards the end of the latter's team's 1-0 victory.
