CHARLOTTE-. Darwin Nunez and a half dozen players from Uruguay They ended up in the stands at Bank of America Stadium, fighting with fans after the 1-0 loss to Colombia in the semi-final of the Copa America.
After a very physical match, a brawl broke out behind the Uruguay bench after the Mexican referee blew the final whistle.
In front of an audience of 70,644 spectators, with a large majority cheering for Colombia, a small group of Uruguayan fans ended up exchanging blows with the Colombians.
Núñez and his teammates climbed a staircase to enter the stands. A video showed the Liverpool striker punching a fan wearing the traditional yellow shirt of the Colombian national team.
Uruguayan centre-back José María Giménez said that what prompted the players to confront the fans was to try to protect their families.
“This is a disaster,” Gimenez said. “They attacked our entire family from a certain sector. Our families were in danger. We had to run like crazy to the stands to get our loved ones with newborn babies. There was not a single police officer.”
“I hope that those who are organizing this will be a little more careful with families, with people and with the surroundings of the stadiums,” he added. “The same thing happens at every game.”
Ignacio Alonso, president of the Uruguay Football Association, said the national team players had an “instinctive and natural” reaction in going to protect their families.
“There should have been a cordon in a stadium where 90% of the crowd was Colombian,” he added.
CONMEBOL condemned the incidents: “There is no place for intolerance and violence on and off the pitch.”
It took more than 10 minutes for the police to intervene and restore order.
Around a hundred Uruguayan fans and team staff remained on the pitch for more than 20 minutes after the match ended, while the Colombian fans left.
“I didn’t see everything that happened,” said Marcelo Bielsa, Uruguay’s coach. “I thought the incident had ended with a dispute that took place in the middle of the pitch shortly after the match.”
“I later learned that there were other kinds of difficulties. Truly regrettable,” he added.
Source: AP
