CONMEBOL, South America’s soccer governing body, has launched an investigation following a violent altercation between Uruguay players and Colombian fans at the end of their Copa America semifinal match on Wednesday.
After Colombia’s 1-0 victory in Charlotte, videos surfaced showing Uruguay players climbing into the stands and clashing with opposition fans. Notable players involved included Darwin Nunez and Ronald Araujo. Captain Jose Maria Gimenez later explained that the players were trying to protect their families.
On the field, players and staff from both teams also engaged in a confrontation after the final whistle. CONMEBOL issued a statement on Thursday, emphasizing their commitment to investigating the events and identifying those responsible. The organization stressed that violence would not be tolerated in the tournament.
“It is unacceptable that an incident like this turns passion into violence.”
Emotions ran high throughout the match, particularly after Colombia played the second half with ten men. The final whistle triggered two flashpoints. One was an on-field melee involving players and staff. A more serious confrontation came in the stands. Videos showed Nunez and other Uruguay players climbing into the stands to protect their families. The Liverpool star appeared to throw a punch after a fan struck him.
Uruguay manager Marcelo Bielsa initially thought his players were going to thank their fans. Nonetheless, he soon realized the severity of the situation. “I learned that there were other kinds of unfortunate difficulties,” he said. CONMEBOL‘s statement condemned the violence but did not address security or organizational issues at the stadium.
Soccer analyst, Felipe Cardenas told CBS Sports about CONMEBOL’s security plans for the final and the third-place match. Despite the recent incident, no additional security measures are in the works.
“I reached out to CONMEBOL to see if both the final at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami and then the third-place game that will take place, in Charlotte again at the same stadium, Bank of America Stadium, if any extra security measures will take place, and I was told that, essentially, no.
“That the same security measures that have been taking place throughout the tournament will be in place at those games, and they wouldn’t respond to whether the families of the players for either of those games will be moved to suites or moved away from sections that are too close to the fans. Now, again, that is very common, and that’s something that the Uruguayan Federation president, admitted to that players’ families typically sit in very close defense, and it can be a lightning rod.”
This lack of action raises concerns, especially given similar past events, such as the Brazil vs Argentina World Cup Qualifier where fans and players’ families clashed. “It just so happened to be in the same section where some of the families of Argentine players were. And some of the players tried to jump in. It was not it did not escalate to what we saw last night, but this has now become, again, the story of the tournament right now.”
The final between Argentina and Colombia in Miami will draw passionate and potentially volatile crowds. Cardenas emphasized the importance of appropriate security measures to prevent further incidents. “If you think there’s not going to be tension and passion, you’re wrong,” he said, underscoring the ongoing nature of the situation.
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