What should have been a spectacular Copa America semifinal in Charlotte on Wednesday night degenerated into something akin to a bar brawl when several Uruguayan players, including Darwin Nunes and captain Jose Maria Jimenez, clashed with Colombian supporters in the stands after the game.
It was an ugly, chaotic and bizarre spectacle that ruined an otherwise compelling match and raised serious questions about the security measures at Bank of America Stadium and CONMEBOL’s decision to stage a match of this magnitude in a stadium that was being used for the first time in the competition.
Uruguay face Canada in the third-place playoff at the same stadium on Saturday, and an investigation will be necessary between now and then to determine the full chain of events that led to the disturbing scenes that were circulated on social media after Colombia’s 1-0 win.
Nunes was visibly upset after family members and friends of Uruguayan players were involved in an incident in which fists were exchanged and objects were thrown in one of the lower sections, close to Colombian fans.
Darwin Nunez walks into the stands after the game (Nick Tre. Smith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
After the match, the voices of the Uruguayan players were a mixture of anger and frustration.
“It was a total disaster,” said Uruguay captain Jimenez. “There was not a single police officer. They showed up 30 minutes later. It was a disaster. And we were there, standing up for ourselves and our loved ones.
“I wish the organizers would take a little more precautions with our family, the people, and the people around the stadium. This happens every game. Our family suffers because of people who don’t know how to drink after a few drinks, and people who act like children.”
The Uruguayan Football Federation (AUF) said it would review all footage before deciding whether to make an official complaint. But it is clear that the AUF believes it was a mistake to place the players’ friends and family in the same area as the Colombian supporters without any distinction.
“It was practically known from the start of the tournament that Colombian fans would buy 95% of the tickets and I think there had to be some kind of barrier because that area (the stadium) could have been crowded,” said AUF president Ignacio Alonso.
As for the actions of Nunes, Jimenez and others, Alonso insisted that what they did was what could have been expected in that situation. “The Uruguayan players reacted instinctively to what is natural, which is to defend and protect the children in the stands, the women who were being assaulted, the wives who were there, the fathers, the children, the brothers. That is the instinctive reaction of a father,” he added.
The backdrop to all this was a night of intense emotions on the pitch. Colombia played the entire second half with 10 men after Daniel Munoz was sent off just before half-time. But when the final whistle blew after seven minutes of added time, there were two explosive moments.
The brawl began in the center circle, where more than 40 players and staff gathered after the game. Some Colombian and Uruguayan players hugged each other, while others (including Uruguay’s Luis Suarez and Colombia’s Miguel Borja) got involved in the brawl. Elsewhere, there was plenty of shoving and pushing, but on the surface, nothing more sinister was going on.
But moments later, some of the Uruguayan players started running towards the touchline from the area just to the right of the dugout. At first, it was unclear what was happening, except that some children wearing Uruguayan shirts were being carried from the lower tier onto the pitch.
Later footage provided a more complete picture, showing Nunez climbing into the stands with Jimenez and Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo and angrily confronting Colombian supporters. As things got more heated, Nunez appeared to be hit by a fan. The Liverpool striker also appeared to throw a punch.
“‘Some of the players had wives, young children, parents, older relatives… they went to see how they were doing,” Suarez said. “And then things started to happen. The images you see. They (Nunez, Jimenez and others) were trying to protect their families. From what I saw, a lot of relatives and children were affected. You were left helpless in that situation.”
I was going crazy in the semi finals!! Right in my area! Hope everyone is okay pic.twitter.com/oyDQM0d9Ik
— Lloyd Sam (@MrLloydSam) July 11, 2024
Contrary to Jimenez’s expectations, the police were there, but it took some time for them to get the situation under control. It took more than 60 seconds and they needed the help of security personnel.
Before that, other Uruguayan players and staff had intervened and were climbing up and down the seats, threatening to degenerate into chaos. Footage shows Rodrigo Bentancur throwing some sort of object into the area.
Nunez was still angry as he came down from the stands and was deeply upset by everything that had happened. The forward picked up a chair and ran towards the Colombian fans who were taunting him, throwing it against the wall below while some of the Uruguayan substitutes dragged him away.
Nunez looked extremely emotional at the time and was consoled by one of the Uruguayan backroom staff on the pitch, as well as Suarez and his Liverpool team-mate Colombian striker Luis Diaz.
As the dust began to settle and fans poured out of the stadium, Uruguay players were still on the pitch, carrying their children. Matias Vina was seen holding a baby in his arms at one point, Nicolás de la Cruz sat on the ground with his daughter on his lap, and Nunes was later photographed holding a child on his shoulders.
Mathías Viña holding a baby in his arms. Uruguay players react to seeing their families in the stands surrounded by rival fans who had already received crosses from the game. pic.twitter.com/eaOuNfKlq4
— Sebastian Amaya (@sebaamaya) July 11, 2024
The Uruguayan players looked more shocked than anything else. “It was an ugly moment,” said Uruguay goalkeeper Sergio Roche. “It’s not nice to see something like this, especially when your family is only two metres away. We’re sad to be knocked out of the tournament and now we have to deal with this situation.
“From what I saw, they (the supporters) started throwing things. You try to avoid it, but when you realise it’s your family, children, it’s hard. I was struck by the lack of empathy from the Colombian players. I think they should have come and calmed the waters.”
Like many people at the stadium, Uruguay manager Marcelo Bielsa initially had no idea what was going on. He initially thought the players would “thank the Uruguayan fans for their support”, but then he learned that there was a different kind of unfortunate difficulty.
The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) issued a statement that made no mention of the lack of organisation or safety issues at the stadium, something that was evident in many ways on Wednesday night.
“CONMEBOL strongly condemns any act of violence that affects football,” it said. “Our work is based on the conviction that football connects and unites us through positive values. Intolerance and violence, both on and off the pitch, are unacceptable. We hope that everyone will devote all their passion to supporting the national team and throwing an unforgettable party for the rest of the season.”
(Above photo: Nick Tre. Smith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
