Uruguay defender Jose Maria Gimenez explained that players were forced to defend their families from Colombia fans as Darwin Nunez was seen consoling his terrified son
04:45, 11 Jul 2024
Uruguay striker Darwin Nunez was seen hugging his young son after stepping in to defend his family who came under threat from Colombia fans.
Shortly after Uruguay had been dumped out of Copa America following a 1-0 defeat to Colombia, players were seen rushing to the stands as fights broke out. Liverpool and Uruguay striker Nunez was at the centre of the chaos, and was punched by a rival fan before retaliating.
Initially, it was not clear what sparked the brawl, as Uruguay stars began jumping into the crowd while Colombia players were celebrating their victory on the pitch. But Uruguay defender Jose Maria Gimenez later expressed his side of the story, claiming that Colombia fans started to turn on friends and family of the Uruguay players who were sitting behind the team benches.
Gimenez slammed the lack of police presence as the mass brawl erupted in the stands between players, fans, and loved ones moments after the game ended, as he said: "It was a disaster; there was no police and we had to defend our families.
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"This is because of two or three who have one drink too many," he added. The crowd at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte was filled with a Colombia majority, who matched the energy of a hostile Copa America semi-final.
Gimenez then stated that the actions of the Uruguay players were forced due to their families being attacked both verbally and physically by a section of Colombia fans. "A certain sector of the Colombian fans made an avalanche where our loved ones were," said Gimenez.
A video then surfaced of Nunez hugging his son on the field, looking visibly emotional after the traumatising incident. A report from Uruguayan outlet El Pais stated that Uruguay players were punched and kicked during the incident, before being led onto the field by security.
The report claimed that relatives of Uruguay midfielder Manuel Ugarte were hurt during the incident, and he consoled them on the field. The scenes after the game were similar to the events on the field during the 90 minutes, as a fierce semi-final saw eight players shown cards.
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Jefferson Lerma put Colombia ahead after 39 minutes against the run of play, after Nunez had missed two major opportunities to hand Uruguay the lead. Just before half-time Colombia defender Daniel Munoz was then sent off for a second bookable offence, as he elbowed Ugarte in the ribs.
Colombia will face Argentina in Sunday's Copa America final after extending their unbeaten run to 28 games after the ugly 1-0 win. Colombia and Argentina have the two largest fan bases in the United States where Copa America is being held, and it's expected that host federation CONMEBOL will ensure there is heightened security and police presence on site.