What ought to have been a showpiece recreation within the semi-final of the Copa America in Charlotte on Wednesday night time descended into one thing extra akin to a bar-room brawl as a number of Uruguay gamers, together with Darwin Nunez and the captain Jose Maria Gimenez, clashed with Colombia supporters within the stands after the ultimate whistle.
It was an unpleasant, chaotic and extraordinary scene that overshadowed a compelling match, elevating severe questions in regards to the safety preparations in place on the Financial institution of America Stadium in addition to CONMEBOL’s resolution to stage a recreation of this magnitude at a venue that was getting used for the primary time within the match.
One other match is going down on the identical stadium on Saturday, when Uruguay return for a third-place play-off in opposition to Canada, and there’ll absolutely should be an investigation between at times to determine the total chain of occasions that led to the unsavoury scenes that had been circulating on social media within the aftermath of Colombia’s 1-0 victory.
Nunez was visibly upset after turning into embroiled in an incident during which punches had been traded and objects had been thrown in one of many blocks within the decrease tier the place the households and mates of the Uruguay gamers had been positioned near Colombia followers.
Darwin Nunez went into the stand after the match (Nick Tre. Smith/Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Photos)
There was a mix of anger and frustration within the voices of the Uruguay gamers afterwards.
“It’s a complete catastrophe,” Gimenez, the Uruguay captain, stated. “There wasn’t a single police officer. They confirmed up half an hour later. A catastrophe. And we had been there, standing up for ourselves, for our family members.
“Hopefully, organisers take a bit extra precautions with our households, with the individuals and people across the stadiums. As a result of this occurs each recreation. Our households are struggling due to some individuals who have a number of drinks and don’t know easy methods to drink, who act like kids.”
The Uruguayan Soccer Affiliation (AUF) has stated it would analyse all of the footage earlier than deciding whether or not to make an official criticism. However it’s clear the AUF believes it was an oversight to place the gamers’ mates and households in the identical space as Colombia supporters with none form of partition.
“I believe there ought to’ve been some type of barrier, particularly as a result of it was recognized virtually from the start of the match that the Colombian followers had been going to buy 95 per cent of the tickets and that space (of the stadium) may get difficult,” Ignacio Alonso, the AUF president, stated.
As for the actions of Nunez, Gimenez and others, Alonso maintained what they did was solely to be anticipated within the circumstances. “The Uruguayan gamers reacted instinctively to what’s pure: which is to defend and defend the kids that had been in that a part of the stand, the ladies who had been being assaulted, the wives, fathers, kids and brothers who had been there. It’s an instinctive response of a father,” he added.
The backdrop to all of that is that feelings had been operating excessive on the stadium all night time — Colombia performed your entire second half with 10 males after Daniel Munoz was proven a crimson card simply earlier than the interval — nevertheless it was the ultimate whistle, after seven minutes of stoppage time, that introduced the primary of two flashpoints.
Initially, there was a melee within the centre circle, the place greater than 40 gamers and employees congregated instantly after the sport. Some Colombia and Uruguay gamers embraced each other whereas others — Uruguay’s Luis Suarez and Colombia’s Miguel Borja amongst them — grew to become concerned in an altercation. There was lots of pushing and shoving elsewhere however, on the face of it, nothing extra sinister than that.
Moments later, although, a number of the Uruguay gamers began to dash in direction of the touchline, in an space simply to the best of their dugout. At first, it was unclear what was occurring, apart from that some kids carrying Uruguay shirts had been being carried out of the decrease tier and onto the pitch.
The movies that emerged later offered a fuller image and confirmed Nunez, together with Gimenez and the Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo, climbing up into the stand and angrily confronting Colombia supporters. As the whole lot acquired extra heated, Nunez seemed to be struck by one fan. The Liverpool striker additionally appeared to throw a punch again.
“’A few of the gamers had wives, babies, their dad and mom, older kin… They went to see how they had been doing,” Suarez stated. “Then these issues began to occur, the photographs that you simply’ve seen. They (Nunez, Gimenez and others) had been attempting to guard their households. From what I noticed, there have been lots of kin and youngsters affected. You’re left powerless in that scenario.”
It acquired loopy within the semis!! Proper in my part! Hope everyone is okay pic.twitter.com/oyDQM0d9Ik
— Lloyd sam (@MrLloydSam) July 11, 2024
Opposite to what Gimenez thought, law enforcement officials had been current on the scene, albeit they took a while — greater than 60 seconds — to get the scenario beneath management and wanted the assistance of safety personnel.
Previous to that, it had threatened to show right into a free-for-all as different Uruguay gamers and employees acquired concerned, clambering over seats. Video footage seems to point out Rodrigo Bentancur throwing an object of some kind into that space.
As for Nunez, he was clearly nonetheless irate and deeply upset by the whole lot that had occurred when he acquired down from the stand. The ahead picked up a chair, ran in direction of an space the place Colombia followers had been goading him, and threw it into the wall under, prompting a number of the Uruguay substitutes to tug him away.
Nunez regarded extraordinarily emotional at that time. He was consoled by one of many Uruguay backroom employees on the pitch and in addition by Suarez and Luis Diaz, the Colombia ahead who performs alongside him for Liverpool.
Because the mud began to settle and the followers spilt out of the stadium, there have been Uruguay gamers nonetheless on the pitch holding their kids. Matias Vina had a child in his fingers at one stage, Nicolas de la Cruz sat along with his daughter on his knee on the ground, and Nunez was later pictured with a toddler on his shoulder.
Mathías Viña con su beba en brazos. Los jugadores de Uruguay tuvieron su reacción al ver que sus familias en las tribunas estaban rodeadas de hinchas rivales, los que ya habían tenido cruces en el partido pic.twitter.com/eaOuNfKlq4
— Sebastián Amaya (@sebaamaya) July 11, 2024
The Uruguay gamers regarded like they had been in a state of shock as a lot as something. “It was an unpleasant second,” Sergio Rochet, the Uruguay goalkeeper, stated. “It’s not good to see these issues, particularly when your loved ones is just two metres away. We’re unhappy to exit of the match and now we’ve to cope with this example.
“From what I noticed, they (the supporters) began throwing issues. You attempt to steer clear of that, however once you see that it’s your loved ones, babies, it’s troublesome. I used to be stunned by the shortage of empathy from the Colombia gamers. I believe they need to have come to calm the waters.”
Like lots of people within the stadium, the Uruguay supervisor Marcelo Bielsa had no thought what was occurring at first. He stated he initially thought his gamers “had been going to thank the Uruguayan followers for the help. However then I discovered that there have been different kinds of unlucky difficulties.”
As for CONMEBOL, South American soccer’s governing physique issued a press release that made no reference in any respect to any points round an absence of organisation on the stadium — one thing that was evident in so some ways on Wednesday night time — or security issues.
“CONMEBOL strongly condemns any act of violence that impacts soccer,” it stated. “Our work relies on the conviction that soccer connects and unites us via its optimistic values. There is no such thing as a place for intolerance and violence on and off the sphere. We invite everybody within the remaining days to pour all their ardour into cheering on their nationwide groups and having an unforgettable get together.”
(Prime picture: Nick Tre. Smith/Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Photos)