Uruguay players fight Colombia fans in stands after Copa America loss
Wednesday night's Copa America semifinal between Colombia and Uruguay turned ugly as players and fans clashed in the stands.
Colombia bested Uruguay, 1-0, despite a red card putting them down a man just before halftime. After the final whistle, there was pushing and shoving between players and staff on the field.
Tempers were high and the frustration of the Uruguayans was palpable. It was unfortunate but not unexpected to see things get testy.
😬😬
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 11, 2024
Things got physical between Colombia and Uruguay after the final whistle pic.twitter.com/F3f8bR7SlP
It didn't end there. The tensions spilled into the stands where Uruguayan players and Colombian fans clashed.
Liverpool's Darwin Nunez went full on Ron Artest in the middle of Copa America fracas
Uruguay players have entered the stands and a fight has broken out between fans and players pic.twitter.com/XRbte2ibiy
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 11, 2024
After defeat to Colombia, Uruguayan players entered the stands at Bank of America Stadium and began to throw punches. Liverpool forward Darwin Nunez amongst those at the forefront. pic.twitter.com/VE3unKObSa
— Kyle Bonn (@the_bonnfire) July 11, 2024
Uruguayan players like Darwin Nunez and Ronald Araujo were spotted at the center of the fighting.
It's not clear what sparked the violence. Immediately after the game, Nunez seemed calm enough, hugging his Liverpool teammate Luis Diaz of Colombia.
Darwin Núñez and Luis Díaz share a moment after the match ❤️🇺🇾🇨🇴 pic.twitter.com/cAfH5AuO3M
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 11, 2024
Obviously, something changed, setting off Nunez and others in the Uruguayan camp. Not that it changes anything. There is nothing that could have been said or done that would justify fighting fans.
Any Liverpool fan will tell you Nunez is a passionate guy. The line between being passionate and throwing punches is pretty clear though.
UPDATE: According to Uruguyan center back Jose Maria Gimenez, the players entered the stands to defend their families, who were being threatened by Colombian fans.
José Maria Gimenez spoke to the broadcast and stated that the players' families were avalanched by a group of Colombia fans. He mentioned that whoever organized this event needs to make changes. Gimenez emphasized that this is a security problem for the families of the Uruguayan…
— Favian Renkel (@FavianRenkel) July 11, 2024
Here’s the video of Nunez jumping up into the stands. He is told something by his significant other before he goes ballistic. #Uruguay #Colombia #CopaAmerica pic.twitter.com/Wvg8TXGi0b
— Favian Renkel (@FavianRenkel) July 11, 2024
More video of kids being handed to trainers, staff, players, etc. Uruguay trainers were injured pic.twitter.com/A3wvkfJxzg
— Aaron (@itsExtreme_) July 11, 2024
That doesn't excuse throwing punches at fans but it does explain the intense scenes and calls the security plan in Charlotte into question.
CONMEBOL, the governing body of Copa America and both Uruguay and Colombia soccer, will certainly have a look at what went down on Wednesday night. Any players caught fighting fans on camera are sure to be disciplined.
Colombia's Jefferson Lerma opened the scoring with an assist from James Rodriguez in the 39th minute. Just a few minutes later, Daniel Munoz picked up a second yellow card for striking an Uruguyan player. The Colombians had to play a man down for the rest of the match because of it.
Despite the disadvantage, Colombia managed to hold onto their lead. Uruguay had 11 total shots but only two of them were on target.
Colombia will face Argentina in the Copa America Final on Sunday.
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