What was supposed to be a great match in Wednesday night’s Copa America semifinals in Charlotte turned into more of a barroom brawl involving Darwin Nunez and captain Jose María Guime Several Uruguayan players, including Ness, clashed with Colombia.
It was an ugly, chaotic and extraordinary scene that cast a pall over a high-profile match and raised questions about the security arrangements at Bank of America Stadium and CONMEBOL’s decision to play the game at a venue that was being used There are serious doubts about holding a competition of this magnitude.
There will be another match at the same stadium on Saturday, when Uruguay will play Canada in a third-place play-off tie, and an investigation will certainly need to be carried out between now and then to establish the full chain of events leading up to this match. After the victory, unpleasant scenes circulated on social media.
Nunez was visibly upset after being involved in an incident in which family and friends of Uruguayan players, in close proximity to Colombian fans, exchanged punches, kicks and objects in a lower block.
Darwin Nunez takes to the stands after the game (Nick Tre. Smith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The voices of Uruguayan players after the game were mixed with anger and frustration.
“It’s a complete disaster,” Uruguay captain Gimenez said. “There was not a single police officer. Half an hour later they showed up. Disaster. We were there, standing up for ourselves, for our loved ones.
“Hopefully the organizers take more precautions for our families, people and people around the stadium. Because this happens at every game. Our families are suffering because some people have had a few drinks and don’t know how to drink , acting like a child.
The Uruguay Football Association (AUF) said it would analyze all footage before deciding whether to lodge a formal complaint. But it’s clear that the AUF felt it was an oversight to put the players’ friends and family in the same area as Colombian supporters without any partitions.
“I think there should be some kind of barrier, especially since it is known from the beginning of the game that Colombian fans will buy 95% of the tickets and areas (of the stadium) could become complicated,” AUF president Ignacio Alonso said.
Regarding the actions of Nunez, Jimenez and others, Alonso insisted that what they did was only expected under the circumstances. “The Uruguayan players reacted instinctively and naturally: to defend and protect the children in that part of the stand, the women who were attacked, the wives, fathers, children and brothers there. It was an instinctive reaction from a father,” he added.
The backdrop to all this was that emotions were running high at the stadium all evening – Colombia played the entire second half with 10 men after Daniel Munoz was shown a red card before half-time – but that was the end The whistle, followed by a few minutes of injury time after seven, brought the first of two flashpoints.
Initially, there was a scuffle in the center circle, and more than 40 players and staff members gathered together immediately after the game. Some Colombian and Uruguayan players hugged each other, while others – including Uruguayan Luis Suarez and Colombian Miguel Borja – got into arguments. There was a lot of pushing and shoving elsewhere, but on the surface, nothing was as sinister as this.
After a while, however, some Uruguayan players began to rush towards the touchline, just to the right of their dugout. At first, it was unclear what was happening, except that some kids wearing Uruguay jerseys were being carried onto the pitch from the lower tiers.
Video that emerged later provided a fuller picture, showing Nunez, Jimenez and Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo climbing into the stands and angrily confronting Colombian supporters. As things got more intense, Nunes appeared to be hit by a fan. The Liverpool forward also appeared to be fighting back.
“‘Some players have wives, kids, parents, older relatives… they go and see how they’re doing,” Suarez said. “And then those things start happening and you see the images. They (Nunez) , Jimenez and others) trying to protect their families, there are a lot of relatives and children who are affected in this situation.
The semi-finals were crazy! It’s in my section! Hope everyone is okay pic.twitter.com/oyDQM0d9Ik
— Lloyd Sam (@MrLloydSam) July 11, 2024
Contrary to what Jimenez thought, police were on the scene, although it took them some time – more than 60 seconds – to get the situation under control and required the help of security personnel.
Before that, the game threatened to turn into a melee as other Uruguayan players and staff got involved, climbing on seats. Footage appears to show Rodrigo Bentancur throwing some sort of object into the area.
As for Nunez, he’s clearly still angry and deeply disturbed by what happened when he came off the stands. The striker picked up a chair and ran towards an area where Colombian fans were goading him, before throwing the chair into the wall below, causing some Uruguayan substitutes to drag him away.
Nunez looked very emotional at the time. He was also comforted by a member of the Uruguayan backroom staff on the pitch, as well as Suarez and Colombian striker Luis Diaz, who plays with him for Liverpool.
When the dust settled and fans poured out of the stadium, there were still Uruguay players holding their children on the field. Matias Vina at one point held a baby in his hands, Nicolas de la Cruz sat on the floor with his daughter on his knees, and Nunez was later Photographed with a child on his shoulders.
Matthias Wiener holds his child in his arms. Uruguayan players reacted when they saw their families in the stands surrounded by opposition fans, who had already made crosses during the game. pic.twitter.com/eaOuNfKlq4
— Sebastian Amaya (@sebaamaya) July 11, 2024
Uruguay’s players looked in shock. “It was an ugly moment,” Uruguayan goalkeeper Sergio Lochte said. “It’s not good to see these problems, especially when your family is only two meters away from you. It’s a pity that we pulled out of the competition and now we have to deal with this situation.
“From what I saw, they (supporters) started throwing things. You try to stay away from it, but it’s hard when you see it’s your family, your kids. I feel for the lack of empathy for Colombian players Surprised. I thought they should come and calm things down.
Like many inside the stadium, Uruguay head coach Marcelo Bielsa initially had no idea what was happening. He said he initially thought his players “would be grateful for the Uruguayan fans’ support. But then I learned there were other unfortunate difficulties.
As for CONMEBOL, South America’s football governing body issued a statement that did not mention anything about the lack of organization at the stadium (which was evident in many respects on Wednesday night) or security concerns.
“Conmebol strongly condemns any act of violence affecting football,” it said. “Our work is based on the belief that football connects and unites us through its positive values. There is no place for intolerance and violence on and off the field. We invite everyone to devote all their passion to the remaining days Cheer on your national team and have an unforgettable party.
(Above: Nick Tre. Smith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
