Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa believes his players deserve an apology, not penalties after they entered the stands at Bank of America Stadium and got involved in an altercation with Colombia fans following their team’s 1-0 Copa America semifinal defeat.
An upset Bielsa criticized the tournament organizers for not adequately protecting the families of players sitting behind the Uruguay bench. He justified the players’ actions as necessary to defend their loved ones.
“We are in the United States, a country known for security,” Bielsa said during an emotional 45-minute press conference on Friday. “How can you not protect your mother, your sister, a baby? If they didn’t do it, we would all condemn them.”
CONMEBOL, the governing body for South American soccer, announced on Thursday that its disciplinary committee had launched an investigation. “It is unacceptable for an incident like this to turn passion into violence,” the federation stated.
When asked if he was concerned about sanctions against his team, Bielsa became visibly angry.
“The punishment should not be for the players, but for those who forced them into this situation,” Bielsa argued. “This is a witch hunt. It’s shameful.”
Uruguay could have chosen to seat families in luxury boxes instead of in the general crowd.
The team will return to the same venue for Saturday night’s third-place game against Canada. While the atmosphere is expected to be calmer, similar security measures are planned.
The match on Wednesday night drew a lively crowd of over 70,000, with most fans wearing Colombia’s colors. The stadium in downtown Charlotte is home to the NFL’s Carolina Panthers and Charlotte FC.
At the beginning of the game, there were only a few small groups of Uruguay fans in the audience, mostly located behind the team’s bench.
Following a game that was both intense and physical, with seven yellow cards and one red, a fight broke out in the stands and drinks were thrown.
Pushing and punches were exchanged. The situation escalated as more people became involved, until more than a dozen Uruguay players, including Darwin Núñez, climbed a small set of portable stairs into the crowd.
Bielsa criticized the lack of adequate precautions and noted there was no emergency exit provided for Uruguay fans.
Members of the Uruguayan soccer association delegation managed to avoid the fighting by descending onto the playing field, while local police and security worked to restore order and clear the stadium.
The disturbance in the stands lasted for more than five minutes. During a news conference, Bielsa became involved in a heated exchange with a reporter, who eventually left halfway through.
“You should have asked me if we received an apology, not if I am afraid of sanctions,” Bielsa shouted. Bielsa also criticized certain media organizations, accusing them of serving the interests of those in power who control financial resources.
“There is a portion of the media that serves these interests. Those who do not comply suffer because they remain loyal,” Bielsa added. Bielsa mentioned he hadn’t planned to discuss the incident but felt compelled to speak out.
“I am very concerned about retribution in sports,” Bielsa stated. “There are always threats in sports. The message here was that we couldn’t protect our families and couldn’t let them escape. What sanctions are they talking about? What we need to see is when they will apologize.”
Sebastián Cáceres was the latest Uruguay player to express worry about how things unfolded.
“What happened after the game is something anyone would have done,” Cáceres remarked. “I went up to make sure my family was safe and tried to bring a teammate with me to stop it from escalating.”
