Conmebol said that it would “not accept any repeat of the incidents”Omar Vega/Getty Images
Conmebol has “opened a disciplinary investigation into the ‘acts of violence’” at the end of Wednesday’s Copa America semifinal between Uruguay and Colombia in Charlotte, according to Simon Evans of SOCCER AMERICA. Uruguay players after the match waded into the stands at the Bank of America Stadium and exchanged punches with fans allegedly “out of concern for the safety of family members and loved ones.” Conmebol said that it would “not accept any repeat of the incidents,” which saw fighting between the two sets of supporters, for Sunday’s final between Argentina and Colombia at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami (SOCCER AMERICA, 7/11). The AP’s Steve Reed noted stadium seating choices for families and friends of players were “arranged by Uruguayan soccer’s governing body” and more “protected luxury suites were an option.” More security and police were “on hand for the Copa America event than a typical home game” for the Panthers or concerts. The tournament’s third-place game between Uruguay and Canada is scheduled at Bank of America Stadium on Saturday (AP, 7/11).
UNORGANIZED EVENT: YAHOO SPORTS’ Henry Bushnell wrote “thoroughly poor planning” of this Copa America is “why nobody else was there” to defend and protect players’ families. The tournament was “cobbled together over the past two years,” and it has been “disorganized, decentralized and brazenly capitalistic.” Conmebol wanted to come to the U.S. to “make money — but failed to consider so many details that go into running a smooth tournament.” Its oversights, until Wednesday, “mostly cropped up behind the scenes.” Bushnell: “Communication was deficient. Branding was uneven. Stadium operations turned media zones into zoos. Some local organizers seemed wholly unprepared to host a soccer match.” Players “complained about the temporary grass surfaces,” while empty seats “raised questions about ticketing strategies.” But organizers were three games away from “escaping with their wads of cash, and without a major, lasting stain on the event” until the incident in Charlotte. The “macro problem underlying all these micro problems has been the disconnect between South American soccer authorities and local U.S. agencies or NFL stadiums.” Conmebol has “no experience operating in North Carolina,” while the North Carolina vendors and staffers it engaged to work Copa America “probably had no experience dealing with South American soccer.” Bank of America Stadium has “hosted vanilla European soccer friendlies, but never a fiery tournament like this one.” Organizers “seemingly failed to sufficiently tap into North American soccer entities who could bridge the gap, use their experience and ease the transition” (YAHOO SPORTS, 7/11).
Source link : https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2024/07/12/conmebol-copa-america-charlotte-investigation
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Publish date : 2024-07-12 12:03:14
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