Following their Copa America semifinal loss on Wednesday, Uruguay players engaged in a confrontation with Colombia fans before security intervened to reestablish order. After Colombia's 1-0 win in Charlotte, North Carolina, social media videos depicted what seemed to be Uruguay players scaling the stands and engaging in physical altercations with opposing fans.
CONMEBOL, South American football's governing body, announced an investigation into the incident, strongly denouncing any acts of violence that impact football. 'Our work is grounded in the belief that soccer fosters connection and unity through its positive values,' CONMEBOL stated. 'Intolerance and violence have no place on or off the field.'
Uruguay's Darwin Nunez and Ronald Araujo were among the players actively involved in the scuffle. Captain Jose Maria Gimenez explained that the players were defending their families. 'Let me speak before they cut me off; they don't want us to address what's happening, but this is a catastrophe,' Gimenez said during the official broadcast. 'Please be cautious, our families are in the stands, including newborn babies. It was a disaster; there was no police presence, and we had to protect our families.' He blamed the incident on 'two or three individuals who had too much to drink and couldn't handle it.'
Both Colombian and Uruguayan players and staff were also embroiled in a dispute on the field post-match. Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa commented, 'I thought the incident concluded with some midfield arguments, and when I saw further commotion, I headed to the locker room. I initially thought they were expressing gratitude to the fans. Unfortunately, I later learned of additional issues.'
Jefferson Lerma's header in the first half secured Colombia's spot in Sunday's final against Argentina, while Uruguay will face Canada in the third-place playoff.
