How Uruguay vs. Colombia descended into chaos – and the questions the ugly scenes raised

What should have been a showpiece in the Copa America semi-final in Charlotte on Wednesday night degenerated into something more akin to a bar brawl as several Uruguayan players, including Darwin Nunez and captain Jose Maria Gimenez, collided with Colombia supporters in the stands after the final whistle.

It was an ugly, chaotic and extraordinary scene that overshadowed a captivating match, raising serious questions about the security arrangements at Bank of America Stadium and about CONMEBOL’s decision to stage a match of this magnitude at a venue that was used for the first time in the tournament.

Another match will take place at the same stadium on Saturday, when Uruguay return for a third-place play-off against Canada, and an investigation will surely be needed between now and then to determine the full chain of events that led to the unsavory scenes that circulated on social media in the aftermath of Colombia’s 1-0 win.

Nunez was visibly upset after becoming involved in an incident involving punches being exchanged and objects being thrown into one of the blocks on the lower level, where the families and friends of the Uruguay players were in close proximity to the Colombian fans.

There was a mixture of anger and frustration in the voices of the Uruguay players afterwards.

“It’s a total disaster,” said Gimenez, the Uruguay captain. “There was not a single police officer. Half an hour later they showed up. A disaster. And we were there, standing up for ourselves, for our loved ones.

“Hopefully the organizers will take some more precautions with our families, with the people and around the stadiums. Because this happens every game. Our families suffer because of people who have a few drinks and don’t know how to drink and act like children.”

The Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) has said it will analyze all footage before deciding whether to file an official complaint. But it is clear that the AUF believes it was a mistake to put the players’ friends and families in the same area as the Colombian supporters, without any form of separation.

“I think there should have been some kind of barrier, especially because it was known almost from the beginning of the tournament that the Colombian fans would buy 95 percent of the tickets and that area (of the stadium) could become complicated. ,” said Ignacio Alonso, the president of the AUF.

As for the actions of Nunez, Gimenez and others, Alonso claimed that what they did was only to be expected under the circumstances. “The Uruguayan players reacted instinctively to what is natural: to defend and protect the children who were in that part of the stands, the women who were attacked, the wives, fathers, children and brothers who were there. It is an instinctive reaction of a father,” he added.

The background to all this is that emotions were running high in the stadium all night – Colombia played the entire second half with ten men after Daniel Munoz was shown a red card just before the break – but it was the final whistle, after seven men. minutes of stoppage time, which produced the first of two flashpoints.

Initially there was a fight in the center circle, where more than 40 players and staff gathered immediately after the match. Some players from Colombia and Uruguay hugged each other, while others – including Uruguay’s Luis Suarez and Colombia’s Miguel Borja – became involved in an altercation. There was a lot of pushing and shoving going on elsewhere, but on the surface there was nothing more sinister than that.

Moments later, however, some Uruguayan players began sprinting toward the sideline, in an area just to the right of their dugout. At first it was unclear what was going on, except that some children in lower-level Uruguay shirts were being carried onto the field.

The videos that emerged later gave a fuller picture and showed Nunez, along with Gimenez and Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo, climbing into the stands and angrily confronting Colombian supporters. As things got more and more intense, Nunez seemed to be hit by one fan. The Liverpool striker also seemed to throw a punch back.

“Some of the players had wives, small children, their parents, older relatives… They went to see how they were doing,” Suarez said. ‘Then those things started happening, the images you saw. They (Nunez, Gimenez and others) tried to protect their families. From what I saw, many family members and children were affected. You are powerless in that situation.”

Things got crazy in the semi-finals!! Right in my section! I hope everyone is okay pic.twitter.com/oyDQM0d9Ik

— Lloyd Sam (@MrLloydSam) July 11, 2024

Contrary to Gimenez’s belief, police officers were present on the scene, although it took some time – more than 60 seconds – to get the situation under control and required the assistance of security personnel.

Before that, it had threatened to become a free-for-all as other Uruguayan players and staff got involved and clambered over chairs. Video footage appears to show Rodrigo Bentancur throwing some sort of object into that area.

As for Nunez, he was clearly still furious and deeply upset about everything that had happened when he came off the stand. The forward grabbed a chair, ran to an area where Colombia fans were egging him on, and threw it against the wall below, prompting some of the Uruguayan substitutes to drag him away.

Nunez looked extremely emotional at the time. He was comforted by one of the Uruguayan backroom staff on the pitch as well as Suarez and Luis Diaz, the Colombian striker who plays alongside him for Liverpool.

As the dust began to settle and fans poured out of the stadium, Uruguay players were still on the field holding their children. Matias Vina at one point held a baby in his hands, Nicolas de la Cruz sat on the ground with his daughter on his knee, and Nunez was later pictured with a child on his shoulder.

Mathías Viña is beba and brazos. The Uruguayan players get their reaction when their family sits on the rivals’ tribunes, that they compete with the party pic.twitter.com/eaOuNfKlq4

— Sebastián Amaya (@sebaamaya) July 11, 2024

Uruguay’s players looked as if they were in shock. “It was an ugly moment,” said Uruguay goalkeeper Sergio Rochet. “It’s not nice to see these problems, especially when your family is only two meters away from you. We are sad to have to leave the tournament and now we have to deal with this situation.

“From what I saw, they (the supporters) started throwing things. You try to stay away from that, but when you see that it is your family, small children, it is difficult. I was surprised by the lack of empathy from the Colombian players. I think they should have come to calm the waters.”

Like many people in the stadium, Uruguay manager Marcelo Bielsa initially had no idea what was going on. He said he initially thought his players were “going to thank the Uruguayan fans for the support. But then I discovered that there were other kinds of unfortunate difficulties too.”

As for CONMEBOL, South American football’s governing body released a statement that made no reference to issues surrounding a lack of organization in the stadium – something that was evident in so many ways on Wednesday night – or safety concerns.

“CONMEBOL strongly condemns any act of violence that harms football,” the report 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 put all their passion into cheering on their national teams and celebrating an unforgettable celebration in the coming days.”

(Top photo: Nick Tre. Smith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)